Waking Up
by elsupa
Summary: In a small town hospital, a kid regains memories. Will any good come of it? Or will the tragedies of the past just repeat themselves? Please read and review. P.S. Sounds dramatic, but it's more of a slightly dark comedy.
1. Chapter 1: Awakening

Awakening

"The work of a saint is never done.", the doctor said to himself. It was just something he muttered whenever the day or his job started to get to him.

He was Dr. Carlos Marco, a 40 something diagnostic physician. His hair was greying and his eyes were nearly black in color, and his years of service in the medical feild had begun to show in the lines of his face. He was also the lone doctor in this middle of no where town where he ran his 'fabulous' private practice. His business wasn't exactly thriving though.

Oh but it hadn't always been like this, Carlos had once been a resident doctor at a public practice in the city. There he had spent his time toiling away to keep old people alive a couple more days at a time, and also the occasional 'saveable' patient. It hadn't been what he had expected straight out of med school, but it had certainly been more gratifying than this thankless job. But despite his years of service there he had never moved up the ranks, which was basically the reason he had decided on opening this practice. Well that and-

Just then the door to his office opened, rousing him from his thoughts.

"Carlos it's closing time, ready to go?" , the pretty middle-aged nurse asked smiling. She had green eyes and short sandy-brown hair. Carlos smiled back, then checked his watch.

"5 o-clock already, time sure does fly when you're doing nothing." , Carlos sighed. The nurse frowned at that.

"Don't be so pessimistic! We're the only ones keeping this town healthy!" Of course she would say something like that.

"Vanessa, I know that," , it was, after all, the only reason he hadn't left yet ,"It's just we only barely make enough money to live on in this village. We should have picked a bigger village."

Vanessa Cruz, now Venessa Marko, because she was his wife. They had met working at their old jobs in the city, and after they finally got married they had looked around the country for a nice small town to open a doctor's office and live out their golden years. That had been the plan anyway. Instead they ended up in this no where town doing mostly charity cases,

treating mountain lion attacks and taking in travelers injured in the desert. Now it wasn't that he was cruel, of course he enjoyed helping the needy. Its just that he was too old for this, this was supposed to be their time. Instead they were just scraping by giving out free treatments and accepting services and perishables instead of money.

"You can't put a price on charity, Carlos." , she kissed him on the forehead, "I think I'm heading straight back home, you?"

Carlos smiled, she was the Mother Teresa of the two of them. Of course it was her idea to set up shop here, and she loved it too. That was the only thing that made this bearable actually. But if he ever found someone willing to take his place, they would be out of here in a second. Too bad that wasn't incredibly likely.

"No, I'm going to check on our little charity case before I leave. We'll be back to the house a bit later." , Carlos said, rising from his desk.

"Ellis? Why didn't you do that earlier?" ,she looked puzzled.

"I forgot." , he shrugged.

"Nobody comes in all day and you forget." , she crossed her arms. A smug smile on her face.

"Yes, I'm stupid okay? Now could you go and get dinner ready by the time we get home?" , he asked.

"Of course, don't take to long though. It's just another check up right?" , she looked mildly concerned.

"Of course." , he kissed her goodbye and walked to the room where Ellis was waiting. It was the waiting room in the lobby, Ellis liked to watch the TV. Or at least seemed too, it was hard to tell with that one. Anyways only the lobby had a tv in this building.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Ellis." , Carlos smiled merrily. He prided himself on his bedside manner, and Ellis had become something like a foster child to him and his wife ever since the incident that brought them together.

"... Ellis..." , that was all the kid was capable of saying, sadly enough.

Ellis had a mild case of Catatonia, in that the kid was always 'zoned out' and could only say 'Ellis'. Which is why they used that as the name. Ellis had been with them for three months now, ever since the police found and brought the kid here. Ellis had had a gun shot wound and been left to bake in the sun for nearly an entire day. Other weapons and strange debree

had been found around the area, according to the officers. They had been led to the area by the sounds of automatic weapon fire. It was pretty safe to assume some kind of criminal activity had been underfoot. Hard to say way some white kid had been wrapped up in that, but all told it still baffled Carlos that Ellis had survived all that. By all rights, the kid should have died from those wounds and conditions. It was almost 'super human' to survive that kind of truama.

He had yet to find any family or friends of the kid.

Carlos looked at the television Ellis was watching, just some news report. The kid was dressed in some shabby clothing his wife had managed to scrunge up, they couldn't afford anything better.

"Do you feel like saying anything today, besides 'Ellis' that is?" , the doctor asked looking the kid in the eyes.

" ... Ellis?" , the kid looked at him for a second before turning back to the screen.

"Alright, but do you thing we could go to the examining room for this?" , He tried to move Ellis but to no avail. The kid was tough, even if Vanessa was here to help it wouldn't be much use in trying. Carlos sighed and started the examination in the lobby. He checked Ellis's vitals, reflexes, temperature, the whole nine yards. Or at least as much as he could do in this little office, truth be told the kid should really be looked over in a real hospital by specialists. But it wasn't something Carlos could afford to provide Ellis with.

Luckily the kid didn't give him any more trouble and he finished up the examination quickly enough. Though as he finished he paused at the kid's strange bracelets. They were too small to be slipped off, and there was no way to clip them apart. He had even messed up a good pair of bolt cutters trying to remove them to no avail, what the heck were they?

"Okay we can go home now, I think Vanessa's cooking tacos tonight! Those are your favorite right?" , Carlos smiled as he looked the kid in the face. The kid was staring intently at the screen though. "What is it?" he asked as he looked to find out.

It was some kind of crime report apperantly. Two big thugs had shot up a restaurant or something, though it appeared no one was injured. Not really that interesting. But the crooks were trying to get off by saying they were just bounty hunters attempting to bring in a contract. But the news reporter said that this excuse wouldn't be viable because they had already determined the identity of the so called bounty as being someone recently removed from the wanted list. They even put the wanted picture on screen, and it was a young girl!

"Oh they have no excuse! I hope the judge throws the book at them, going to those lengths to apprehend a little girl!" , Carlos roared, he hated criminals. He guessed Ellis did too considering what happened to him. He looked at the kid to see the most freightening face that Ellis had ever made.

"Ellis!" , it was the loudest the kid had ever said it.

"What's the matter?", Carlos looked at the screen , "Hey, that girl has the same name as you... do you recognize her?" He tried not to get his hopes up, but this was amazing! The kid was having a real reaction to the picture. Maybe today was the day he said something besides 'Ellis'!

"Ellis! ELLIS!... Ellis ... oh Ellis." , the kid got on his knees really close to the set.

"You said oh! Please say something else quick!" , the doctor was beside himself with joy.

"... I love you Ellis... " , the kid said as the report ended. He then rose and his demeanor seemed to change completely, his face gained an annoyed look as he turned toward the doctor, "..."

"... Are you alright Ellis?" , the doctor asked, this was such a strange developement. The kid started grabbing at one of his bracelets, then hesitated. He dropped his hands back to his sides and smiled.

"I'm going to go find Ellis, goodbye." , the kid turned and walked out of the office, and he kept walking til he was out of sight.

It had occured to Carlos to stop him and try to talk to the kid, but that look he had given him. It had chilled Carlos to the bone. He had only seen a look like that one time before, back in the E.R. of his old hospital. From a criminal who had shot up a bar and hurt a bunch of people. A look of pure malice.

Carlos shivered, then ran back home.

He wondered how he was going to explain this to Vanessa.  
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{authors's notes: How long did it take you to figure out it wasn't Ellis? Anyways, I may leave this as a one-shot unless you guys really like it. If you do like it, please give me any suggestions! I'm thinking about making this a multi-ending fic. Anyways I basically wrote this because I felt the ending for L.A. in the series lacked closure, and because no one has written an L.A. fanfic here yet.}


	2. Chapter 2: Back on Track

Back on Track

{a/n:Not much interest in this yet, perhaps due to El Cazador not being that popular. But I can't stop thinking about this story, so I'm continuing it. Please enjoy.}  
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"Taco-taco-taco, super tasty tacos," , LA giggled to himself as he greedily took another bite.

Old Dr. Marco hadn't been lying, tacos were his favorite food. Amigo TACOS tacos to be precise. Not for the taste though, but for another reason. Nostalgia. Sad as it was, looking back on everything, his best memories seemed to be associated with the restuarant. Like the time Ellis had been working at one, or when she had bought him one. One of their tacos. Mmmm.

"It's so good!" , he said to himself. What did he imagine this to taste like?

-bring-bring-bring-

The noise roused him from his indulgence, he set the taco aside and dropped straight down from his third story perch. A bit of an alarming move, as he nearly landed on a plump woman on the street below. She ended up tumbling into the gutter from the shock of his appearance. Of which he didn't even notice as he grabbed the ringing public phone off the hook.

"Hello you've reached ace detective agency, how can I help you?" , he talked monotonusly into the phone. But his greater attention was drawn to the taco he had left on the roof. He had placed it a tad to closely to the edge and was concerned it might be blown off. Also the fat woman was now cursing to his face to little effect.

"You guys said in the paper that you were paying money for anyone who would help in tracking down that Ellis girl right?", the caller asked eagerly. LA smiled at that.

The ad was a phony of course, LA had just drained some money from the expense account Rosenburg had given him and payed for an ad to run in some news papers. He figured it was the best way to catch the girls' trail. Though he was surprised he still had access to that account, it could only mean Rosenburg was dead and had not locked him out of it. Otherwise Ellis would also not still be traveling freely with that woman, he was sure of that much at least.

"Oh yes that's correct, tell me what you know and we'll send one of our agents out to you to get your statement and pay your reward." , LA drolled on as he checked on his taco again. It was getting attacked by some bird. LA frowned. Also that woman seemed to just be getting angrier as he ignored her.

"Oh well I saw that girl just a little while ago, infact, I think her and her friend are still in town!", LA grinned.

"What's the friend look like?", verification, to make sure this wasn't another idiot. He looked up at the taco again, the bird seemed to be struggling with the wrapper. Also the woman was still there.

"She's a red-head in like a poncho with a side arm-", report verified.

"And what town is this?", LA asked.

"That's Gerara. G-e-r-a-r-a. Now I suppose you need my adress so you can pay-" , LA hung up the phone. Just then the taco fell from the roof... and smacked into the fat woman, causing her to fall into the gutter again. LA didn't even seem to notice this though, as a big smile painted his face.

"I'm coming Ellis, I hope you didn't forget me. I didn't forget you." , he drolled on dreamily , "I can't wait, we'll be together soon my dear."

He walked down the street, his manner attracting more than a few raised eyebrows and suspicious glares. Gerara was close to this town, close enough anyway. He had been searching for the two for over a week now, he had even stopped by that restuarant from the news report. The owners had been kind enough [or stupid enough] to point him in the direction they

had gone, but he had lost them after that. Luckily, they seemed to need to stop once in every other town to replenish their funds otherwise he would never be able to catch up to them. Now he would just hop a buss and get them in Gerara, or the very next town at worst.

His wait was almost over.  
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"What the heck!" , Nadie roared.

"Best price in town, check for yourself." , the mechanic replied.

"But you're the only one in town, this is highway robbery!" , she yelled back.

"Thief!" , Ellis called, almost sarcasticly backing Nadie up.

"Well if I'm a thief perhaps you would like to talk to the sheriff?", the man asked with a smirk , "He's my brother so it would be no trouble to get him down here." Nadie nearly grabbed for her pistol at that, before remembering herself. Ellis was not of the same mind.

"Got any last words, say them!" , she couldn't be serious, could she?

"You aren't helping Ellis." , Nadie replied flatly.

"Listen, I don't have all day. Do you want me to do it or not?" he asked.

Nadie frowned, one of her most woefull shortcomings was that she knew next to nothing about cars. Truth was she wasn't even sure if this guy was ripping her off or not. So she was stuck.

"Fine. But if you put anything, and I mean anything extra on that bill by the time its done I will kick your ass!" , she roared.

"Oh sure whatever you say. And pleasure doing business with you!", he called as he re-entered his garage where their little convertible was being held.

"That guy just screwed you huh?" , Ellis asked smiling.

"Please don't say it like that." , she grimaced at the image it produced.

"Can we afford that?"

"Lets just say we're going to be working at Amigo TACOS a little longer than I figured." But at least that was one bit of good news. Blue-Eyes had arranged it so they could get work at any of the franchises in the district, thanks to her new job. It was a real life saver, since those restuarants seemed to be everywhere. And it was basically their only means of finance.

"So we go back to work." , Ellis declared happily. She actually seemed to like the work. Nadia smiled, she sometimes felt the need to do some bounty hunting again, to spice things up. But she had no problem being a waitress either. And the boss here was a good guy, and the other employees were very nice to them. And the customers, though low in number, were also generally of a good sort. Yeah, she could definitly stand working here a couple more days.

"So you still want to keep going east?" , she asked as they started for the restaurant.

"Yep, until we see the ocean." , Ellis confirmed.

"What then?" , it was a question she'd been wanting to ask ever since Ellis had suggested the ocean.

"How about we revisit all the stops on our first trip?" , she smiled at Nadie.

"I guess that would be fun, maybe we should do it in reverse though since we are nearer to the ending then the beginning." , Nadie offered.

"Not that place." Ellis shivered at the thought of Winay Marka.

"Of course not, but maybe that town we stopped by first?"

"Maybe." She said, though she didn't sound very enthusiastic. Ellis might be right about that, that area was just full of bad memories. She wondered if LA and Rosenburg's bodies were still rotting out there somewhere in that desert, it wasn't exactly a place she wanted to see again either. The stain of those events made even that town a place of dread for them, their adventures in the town itself weren't really that great in the first place. Yeah, if they did retravel their old trail, they would probobly leave that place out she decided.

"So are we sleeping at the restaurant tonight?" , Ellis asked, breaking the silence.

"If they let us, the price of a hotel would eat our paychecks." , she smiled dumbly. This had been allot easier the first time, well except for all the crazy people trying to kill them.

"Night security!"

"Heh, yeah." How could she be enthusiastic about sleeping in a restaurant!  
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{a/n: That little diddy LA was singing is exactly what he said in the episode, I rewatched it just to be sure. Hope you fans appreciate it. Was the thing with the fat woman stupid? I was trying to demonstrate a 'head in the clouds' mentality for LA, but it seems kind of stupid in retrospect. Anyways please leave suggestions!}


	3. Chapter 3: Ripeness

Ripe-ness

{a/n: I'm really starting to love my story, this chapter in particular. Hope you do too!}  
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"Good morning.", Ellis declared.

Ellis sprung from her cot with a smile. She glanced over to see Nadie still asleep in her chair. It seemed she was always up first. She decided not to wake her, this place actually had a shower in back and this way they wouldn't have to share the hot water. Ellis got up from her cot and headed for the back, pausing only once to make sure Nadie was still asleep. She did not, however, notice the young man in the window.

"Oh Ellis, I've found you.", LA grinned. He had traveled all night, and mearly stopped by this restaurant for a bite to eat. Never did he imagine his prize would be here, in fact he'd already performed a detailed search of the small town for their red convertible without sucess and assumed the two had already moved on. He was just coming here to stock up on food and maybe get a clue on where they went, forgetting the hours this franchise kept, and had stumbled right on his targets. He couldn't be happier.

"I'm coming to get you, Ellis.", he smirked as he approached the front door. It was a set of double doors with a locking mechanism between, not exactly a challenge. He quickly pulled out his wire from his bracelet and carefully sliced the lock down the middle without disturbing the doors. The doors slid open easily after that, and he stepped right in.

The inside was slightly darker than outside, and outside only the early morning light was filtering in through the walls of windows that made up the Amigo TACOS restaurant. So all said it was a tad dimmer inside. He quickly eyed Nadie asleep in her chair though, but she seeemed pretty gone.

A bright idea suddenly struck him. He approached Nadie carefully, her breathing was slow and steady and she was almost snoring. If that was a trick it was a pretty good one. But then a ting of malice suddenly came over him as he stared upon her, it would be so easy. A pull of the wire and a flick of the wrist, that was all it would take. Simpler than unlocking that door,

simpler than most anything. He shook it off though, reminding himself that no good would come of it, no matter how much his emotions tried to convince him otherwise. After all, could he himself ever forgive someone if they killed Ellis? No, and sadly for now Nadie was like Ellis's Ellis. Even knowing that though, he still knew there was a good chance it would come to that eventually. But , for at least right now, he didn't need to think about that.

He got a little closer to her and extended his arm, he was going to try to remove her gun. He had to be careful though, Nadie was wrapped in her poncho like a blanket. She was also hunched forward, pushing the holster back into the seat. The seat itself was a bucket chair, and nearly wrapped halfway around its occupent. All this led to only one option for grabbing it:

to carefully insert is hand through the front of her poncho, then steer around her abdomin to her side and then, oh so carefully, unhook and remove the gun from the holster. The slightest touch of Nadie would undoubtedly wake her, and throw any plans he had in jeopardy. Plus if he got caught doing this it would look like he was trying to cop a feel off of Nadie and that just wouldn't be good for anybody.

LA gulped hard and gathered his nerve, this would work. He must have taken an entire minute working his fingers into the opening of her poncho as carefully as possible, he then slowly pushed his hand in and-- Nadie groaned an sat up a bit! He froze as she started moving, and she brushed against his hand roughly, but alas she did not wake. He unfroze and re-began his efforts, only to freeze again when he noticed the placement of his hand... in Nadie's top! His hand twitched and he bit his lip hard enough to open it.

"_Damn you... Ellis's were supposed to be the first..." ,_ he cursed oh so silently. He bit his free hand's fingers, as punishment. Punishment because he could not say he hated the touch of them. He then removed his hand from her breasts and made for Nadie's holster, a good deal less carefully then he had been. He quickly unlatched the gun and pulled it out from inside her poncho, only to rebite his poor lip as he realized how careless that was. He pointed the gun at her in preparation for her waking, only to stare in disbelief when she didn't.

"I guess she's a deep sleeper..." , he blinked. Boy was she lucky none of those people who had tried to take Ellis had thought of this.

"Who's there." , she suddenly mumbled causing him to jump a little, but she was apperantly still asleep. A dream or something.

LA sighed and turned his attention to the pistol, he didn't really have much use for a gun. He actually preferred not ever using one as they assaulted his sensitive hearing, a trait Ellis probobly shared too. He turned to the cot, and slipped it under Ellis's pillow. There was no use getting too creative with its hiding place, if she awoke and discovered it missing this was probobly the last place she would consider looking in an emergency. Best place to hide things was in plain sight he had heard somewhere.

He gave Nadie one last look to make sure she was asleep and headed for the back after Ellis. He wandered around until he heard the sound of running water, and of her voice; she was singing that silly taco song again, but it sounded heavenly to him coming from her lips.

"_Taco-taco-taco_"

He grinned. He couldn't help himself and decided to join her singing as he made his way closer to her voice.

"_Super tasty tacos, the yummiest tacos in the world, Amigo tacos ooh_!"  
"_Super tasty tacos, the yummiest tacos in the world, Amigo tacos ooh_." , he sang slightly quieter though matching her tone. Could she hear him now? Maybe, he was so close now, and the sound of running water was very clear. Was she taking a shower? Oh yes, all wet and clean and naked, he could almost picture it! But could he smell her by now? He tried the air... and realized something was smelling a little ripe. It was him he realized with dread.

{Damn!}, he thought. He had been searching tirelessly for the girls, and hadn't had a chance to clean up or get new clothes. He was still wearing the raggedy clothes that the doctor's wife had given him. He looked and smelled like trash, he just couldn't let Ellis see him like this! He sighed, this had been shaping up to be such great fun too.

{Oh well.}, he thought as he made his way back to the front ,{This can wait a little longer.} He glanced one last time at Nadie before walking out the door.

"I'm going to take her from you, count on it." ,he walked outside and to the nearest hotel.

"Who's there!", yelled Nadie grogilly as she nearly fell out of her chair. She reached for her gun and her blood went cold when she didn't find it.

"Who's here?" , she called cautiously, scanning the area.

"I'm here!" , Ellis shouted happily popping out of the back in only a towel, nearly causing Nadie to jump out of her skin, "And someone was singing." she added.

"Um, yeah, right.", she was a bit annoyed at her for scaring her ,"Were you playing with my gun?" she produced her empty holster.

"No sir." , she replied.

"Let's just see about that," , Nadie said as she eyed Ellis's pillow ,"Ah-ha!" she shouted as she produced the pistol.

"There it is!" Ellis added happily. Nadie quickly assumed Ellis was messing with her again, but then was set off track by a sudden realization.

"Get back in the back Ellis! Everyone can see you!", she yelled noticing the passer-byes on the street outside the restuarant.

"Yes sir!", Ellis replied as Nadie rushed her into the back.

"Oh, and you better not have used up all the hot water."  
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{a/n: Was that funny, or stupid? I don't know why but I keep adding in comedy for some reason. Anyways that was the entire taco song from the ep 'A woman angered', hope you die hards liked my efforts, as I looked it up before posting.}


	4. Chapter 4: Holdups and Letdowns

Hold-ups and Let-downs

{A/n:Thank you very much for the reviews, Archylas! I been splitting up my paragraphs on purpose in my format, but it seems people don't really like it, so I'm going to try doing it the right way for now, tell me what you think. I'm also glad the humor is apreciated as this wasn't originally going to be a funny fafic.}  
_

"Is it to your liking sir?", the tailor asked merrily.

"Are you sure these are the most expensive clothes in your shop?" , the young man asked as he tapped the toe of his shoe on the floor.

"Oh yes sir, but I could raise the price if you like.", the shop keeper offered semi sarcasticly.

{This is so great!}, the tailor thought. This town was so small, he barely got any customers at all for his custom suits. Usually he only had business from funeral attendants, as that was usually the only reason anyone in this small town would need a suit. Not that he had been stupid enough to think he'd ever have a truly thriving business in this town, he had just inherited this job and this shop from his dad. He was mearly manning a post, but this was a true treat.

This kid had walked in off the street in trashy clothes, and asking for his most expensive of everything. He had almost thrown him out on the spot, until the kid had produced a stack of cash thick enough to choke on! So he had jumped into action, bringing the kid his best of everything; a pair of genuine black leather loafers, a genuine black silk suit and slacks, silk boxers, black silk socks, a black silk tie, a silk shirt, and gold cuff links. He wasn't really sure of the silk content of all the crap he had dressed the kid in, but the kid was definitly paying for silk! Luckily he kept this gawdy crap around just for the occasional shopper with more money than taste. There would be no top ramen for this tailor tonight!

The kid examined himself in the mirror for a long time, checking every angle. He didn't seem too sure. That could be bad.

"Keep in mind, young sir, that stuff as yet to be fitted."

"... Do girls like this look?" , he asked awkwardly, as he continued his self examination.

The tailor thought about that, this stuff wasn't exactly the kind of thing kids his age wore. Not even rich ones. But it had to be impressive in some circles, but he sincerly doubted the local girls around here would see such a gawdy outfit as attractive. It was like he was trying to look better than everyone around him, it came off as obnoxious. Still, he had to sell this on him somehow, his retirement fund depended on it!

"The ones that matter will love it, but you can't expect the commoners to have the same level of taste as the rest of us." he had no idea what he was saying, but he had seen a lot of rich people on tv and he guessed that was the way they talked. Judging by the way the kid looked, it didn't seem to have the desired effect. He was staring at his shoes.

"Do you have... cowboy boots? I think she likes those on people... ", he looked vexed. The tailor was vexed too, there went a couple hundred bucks out the window!

"Yes but are you sure? I have some nice-"

"Yes, black ones. And hurry up."

{Damn it all.}, the tailor thought to himself.

He helped the kid change his shoes, placing the loafers back in their place. The kid then slipped on the boots and rolled his pants over them.

"Do you really think that is better?" , the tailor asked, hoping for a chance to change his mind.

"They're fine, start tailoring.", the kid ordered.  
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After a couple more hours, LA walked out of the tailor's shop about two grand poorer. He looked himself over once, then started for his destination. But as he turned the corner he came across a couple of girls.

{What a perfect opportunity!}, He turned to the prettiest girl who looked about his age. He smirked and approached her.

"Hello chica." , he smiled, trying to look cool. He had only the vaguest idea of how to pick up girls after all.

"High there chico." , she smiled back at him. Success! His smile grew. He then walked right past her back on his way. The girl stared at him incredulously as he passed.

"What the hell was that!", she called back at him.

"I've got to go see Ellis." , he said, more to himself then to her.

Just then a brick hit him upside the head, and everything faded to black, for a moment.

"Where's his cash? Somebody dressed this fancy should have tons of it!", one of the girls digging in his pockets sputtered.

"... What do you think you're doing?", LA asked coldly, coming to.

"He's waking up, hit him with the brick again!"

LA, acting on reflex, jumped to the nearest rooftop before he could be laid out again.

"I should kill you for that.", LA growled as he fiddled with his bracelet. It took all of his self control to keep himself from slaughtering these girls. Ellis wouldn't approve, after all.

"He's like a monkey!", one of them yelled out, amused.

"Nobody blows me off, rich boy!", the one he had hit on shouted.

"Nobody gets between me and my Ellis.", he had had enough. Drawing his cutting line from its place, he leaped over the girls into the street. Turning back to them, he grinned as he whipped his line at them.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
"GaHHHHHHHHHHHHH!", the two screamed as they were soaked with the cold water rushing at them from the severed hydrant. LA, deciding to take this chance while his antagonizers were distracted, quickly walked away. It only took a couple minutes for him to traverse the distance to the restaurant, but he stopped a block away so he could carefully scan the inside without being noticed. There were five customers he saw, and two waitresses. One of the two was Nadie, Ellis on the other hand was no where to be seen.

{What the heck!}, he thought as seached the windows again, his frustration starting to get to him. Was she cooking or something in back? Or was she out on break? He had to find out! So he ran around the back of the place and checked inside the small windows that were there but with no luck. He frowned, he couldn't be positive she wasn't in there without going in himself. And if she wasn't in there where the heck was she?

"Damn it.", he swore under his breath. He couldn't go in there without revealing himself to Nadia. But he didn't want to do that, he didn't want her to know he was alive until at least he had had a chance to meet with Ellis. But what was he supposed to do, wait? He had had enough waiting. LA ran around to the front, and, seeing his chance, walked in through the double doors.  
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Nadie struggled hard to keep a pleasant smile on her face, but inside she was raging like a volcano.

{How could he!}, she thought as she bussed the table.

Nadie was having a really bad day. Her boss had come by that morning and discovered the lock on the front door had been destroyed somehow. He had nearly fired them on the spot, but instead he had decided to not only revoke their night security payment but also force her and Ellis to replace the lock. That was probably fair but then he decided to fire them from their security jobs. That was the kicker, because that also meant Nadia and Ellis wouldn't be allowed to spend the night here anymore, meaning they would have to start paying for a hotel, easily tripling the time they would have to spend in this town.

{This sucks!}, she raged as she gathered up the dishes from the table and headed for the back. As she pushed through the swinging door she adressed her co-worker.

"Hey Rosa, can you handle everything out here while I wash these?", she asked, indicating the dishes she was carrying.

"Sure Nadie.", Rosa smiled pleasantly.

It was about this time that a certain over dressed young man decided to enter. Rosa was good at her job and spotted him right away. Due to his fancy suit, he looked like the type to tip exceptionally well. She praised her luck that a man like that would enter when Nadie was busy, and she wasted no time in approaching him.

"Welcome to amigo TACOS! How can I help you?", she asked, beaming her brightest smile. The young man smiled back.

"I'm looking for...", he paused. He hadn't really thought this part out. If he just asked for Ellis, no doubt this woman would mention it to Nadie, and she was sure to recognise his description. No, he needed to be tactfull.

"Yes?", she asked.

"I'm looking for a young white woman, a blond. She wanted ...", he paused, hoping she might jump in and fill in the blanks. The woman stared puzzled for a moment before snapping to a conclusion.

"Oh, do you mean Ellis? She went out to collect a new lock for the door at the locksmith's, wait you're not the locksmith are you?", she asked, looking him over suspiciously. He wasn't exactly dressed like one.

"No, it looks like I have the wrong place and the wrong person. Thanks for your help, though.", he gave her a coin as a tip.

"Oh, thank you, and no problem!", Rosa said happily as she moved to one of her tables. The man left and just as he did Nadie came out of the back.

"Thanks for covering Rosa.", she smiled.

"You got done pretty quick.", Rosa added wryly, insinuating she might have done a bad job. Nadie smiled sheepishly.

"I just did the cups, I can't really afford to miss out on tips right now... sorry.", Nadie apologized.

"Oh that's okay, I get it. Raymond might get angry again though.", Rosa warned.

"Well what else can he do to me?", she frowned. She still had no idea how someone broke that lock without her knowing. She couldn't really blame Raymond for thinking it was an inside job. Could it be she was getting rusty?, "Anything happen while I was gone?", Nadie asked as she began to clear another emptied table.

"Just some lost guy looking for Ellis."

"What!", Nadie exclaimed.

"Oh wait no, I just thought he was looking for Ellis. Turned out he was at the wrong restuarant or something.", she smiled, cluelessly."Is it a big deal if someone's looking for Ellis?", she asked, noticing Nadie's anxious expression.

"... Maybe, next time if anyone asks for Ellis make sure to tell me first, okay?", she asked pleasantly.

"Sure.", Rosa replied and moved on to one of her tables.

{It probably wouldn't be a big deal, though.}, Nadie thought. There just wasn't that much to worry about anymore. Bounty hunters who still thought Ellis was a target were allot rarer then you would think, and they hadn't seen another witch since Winay Marka, unless you count Blue Eyes. Things were just safer now it seemed.

Still, she wished Ellis would get back soon. That near break in or whatever it was this morning had her a little spooked. But Raymond had insisted Ellis be the one to handle getting the lock and keys made, not trusting her to do it.

The jackass.  
_

"Hello, I'm looking for a pretty young blond girl-", the kid started.

"Aren't we all?", the locksmith joked as he started grinding a key to shape. The kid waited for him to let off the grinder before he reiterated.

"She was just in here I think, did you see her?", he asked. The locksmith sighed at that. He was getting a little sick of these kids, they had been in here all morning asking about Ellis. Ever since she had those keys commissioned this morning.

"Look kid, if you want a date just go ask someone out. Don't follow them around like a stalker.", at that he started grinding again.

He found this kid unsettling, with his strange way of talking and his fancy clothes. Also, he had actually met Ellis a couple of times now, at the restaurant and when she came in earlier that day, and he had gotten to like her, as a person. And he didn't really feel like sicking this strange kid on her.

The locksmith grinded for a really long time, but the kid didn't get the hint. He just waited patiently. He had to admire his determination at least. But he was getting dangerously close to ruining the key so he gave in.

"Alright kid, I know exactly who you're talking about. I know, because boys have been asking about her since she came to town, and around here since she came in this morning. But I'm not some horny kid directory, so buzz off!", he steamed. The kid was impassive, with a hard stare.

"... Ellis is my sister." the kid stated dryly.

"What?", the locksmith asked incredulously.

"Can't you see the family resemblance?", he said, leaning closer and pointing to his face.

"... Oh, I guess I do...", they did look kind of alike, and he knew her name. The locksmith did a mental face slap."Sorry about that, I mean, you never know right?"

"Whatever, do you know were she went?", he asked, annoyed.

"She said she was going to make a quick stop before going back to the restaurant. You know, Amigo-"

"Where was the 'quick stop' at?", he asked, cutting him off.

There was a long pause as the locksmith tried to remember.

"I don't know.", the locksmith answered honestly.  
_

{A/n: I actually had to rewrite half this chapter, I went off on a really silly tangent at one point. Originally, Rosa was the girl LA had hit on and she had followed him back to the restaurant and I was going to have her conk him right before he got Ellis alone, but that felt way too 'cartoony'. I wonder if anyone enjoyed the 'tailor' section. It's my thought that LA's strange sense of style from the series has a pretty simple origin: that LA doesn't actually have one, he just buys the most expensive of everything in attempt to set himself apart from normal people. I mean why else would anyone dress up like Austin Powers for a desert mission? Am I right? Anyways thanks for reading, I'll update soon.}


	5. Chapter 5:Where is she?

Where is she?

"It's bright.", Ellis simply stated, as the afternoon sun glinted off the the plastic box she was holding.

The lock had come in a box along with the keys, but unfortunatly the locksmith hadn't given her a bag so she had to carry it in her arms. The weight didn't bother her but carrying it this way was a tad cumbersome. She wondered if perhaps she should just head straight for the restaurant for now to shorten the amount of time she had to carry it around, but she was nearly there so she decided to hold out and continued walking.

It took awhile, but she eventually made it to her destination: the car mechanic's. Ellis watched as the mechanic fiddled around in the engine of their car. The man continued on for a bit, but eventually turned around to spot Ellis.

"Oh, you're that woman's friend, can I help you?", he asked, wiping his hands.

"Hello thief!", Ellis greeted. The mechanic took a pause at that.

"You know, some people might take offense at being addressed like that.", he warned.

"Is the car alright, Mr. Theif?", she asked innocently.

"That's not what I meant-," he noticed Ellis just stared at him, waiting for an answer, "Oh forget it, your car is fine. Infact I just finished the repairs. But I'll be hanging on to it until your friend pays me, okay?"

"Okay.", Ellis answered as she walked past him, into the garage, and got into the passenger seat.

"What are you doing?", he asked curiously, as Ellis pulled something from the glovebox.

"My skull charm.", she smiled as she dangled the object.

"Oh. Well feel free to grab anything you need," he reached in and took the car keys out,"I'm going to go grab a drink from my house, I can trust you not to steal anything, right?"

"Yes Mr. Theif!", she confirmed. The mechanic walked away a tad vexed, was she messing with him? She had to be.

Ellis dangled the pendant in front of her, remembering where she had got it. It made her happy to think about it. But she couldn't day dream right now, Nadie had asked her to come here to get some more of their stuff since they would be staying here longer now. It was because the singing man had broke the door, but Raymond was blaming Nadie for it. That wasn't right, but she was kind of glad to be hanging out for awhile. It wasn't often they stayed in a town for more then two days, and as things were shaping up they would now be spending the week. It was a nice change of pace.

Ellis eased back into the seat, adjusting the angle. It had been a couple days now since she sat in this seat, and she was finding it quite familiar and comfortable. Suddenly she couldn't help letting her mind drift, she usually did that allot on the long car rides. The long hours at the restaurant had kept her too busy to do this, and the chance to drift off now was too appealing. She closed her eyes and thought about all her good memories, and touched on some of the bad. She nearly drifted asleep when she was brought back by a voice.

"_Ellis_.." , the softest of whispers drifted in to the garage.

"Who's there?", she asked, her face serious.

"Did you get what you needed?", the mechanic asked as he entered from the side door, holding a large, sweating glass of ice tea. Ellis paused for a moment.

"Not yet.", she said as she popped the trunk.

"Well don't take all day.", he said as he took a sip,"I'm running a business here after all. I can't work and watch after you at-" a dense thud silenced the man, and he then callapsed onto the floor.

"Sorry about that, I suppose I'm just impatient.", the figure standing behind the mechanic explained as he set the large wrench he was holding on a nearby work bench. Ellis's eyes widened, then sharpened.

"You're dead." she said defiantly.

"What's with that look, Ellis? Don't you know how much trouble I went through to find you? Can't you even give me a smile?", he asked as he slowly got closer.

"You were shot!", she yelled.

"You mean this?", he asked, as he pulled open his shirt, revealing a gruesome scar on his chest. "I don't die that easy Ellis.", he took a step closer.

"Stay away!", she ordered.

"But I love you Ellis.", he smirked.

"I don't love you!", she roared.

"Let's play a game,", he suggested, snapping his fingers. At that the garage doors snapped shut and the room became very dark. "Its called... I'M GONNA GET YOU!" the figure roared, rushing towards her.

Ellis stumbled out of her door and rushed to the corner, trying to catch sight of the man, but he was no where to be seen. She instead spied the side door, it was still ajar. If she could just make it outside she could get away, she knew it! Gathering her courage, she bolted for the door. She hopped the mechanic's body and made for the door.

Only to have a strong arm catch her around her waist, and another around her neck.

"Oh Ellis, Now,** You're mine**!", Rosenburg roared as he dragged her into the shadows...

"No! No! No!"

{Wake up!}

"Gahh!", Ellis gasped, suddenly back in her car seat. She quickly scanned the garage, but nothing was out of place. It had apparently been a dream, a strange one though. Because she never dreamed of that man anymore.

Ellis suddenly decided she wanted to be back at the restaurant. So she quickly popped the trunk and exited the vehicle. Stepping around to the back, she hastily gathered her and Nadie's supplies into two big bags. Then, juggling the bags and the lock's box, she closed the trunk and carefully headed for the exit. Once there she nearly bumped into someone.

"Oh!", the mechanic exclaimed as he quickly stepped out of the way, "Are you sure you can handle all that stuff?", he asked. To him it seemed she was only just barely keeping everything in hand.

"Yes!", Ellis confirmed determinedly. The man watched as she awkwardly made her way down the street.

"Well you have to admire her resolve at least!", the mechanic chuckled to himself as soon as Ellis seemed out of ear shot.

"Oh yes, and she's easy on the eyes too.", a kid walking by agreed sadly, more to himself than anyone else.

"Oh, didn't see you there. Did you need some car help...", the mechanic drifted off as he noticed the kid was completly ignoring him, staring forward as if hypnotised. The man grinned to himself, "You must be pretty stupid, right?"

"What?", the kid looked at him, suddenly un-hypnotised.

"It seems to me she could use some help carrying all that stuff.", he allowed, leaving the kid with that thought.

LA blinked, then hesitated.

"Why did you say that stuff Ellis?"  
_

Thoroughly annoyed from his fruitless visit with the locksmith, LA was left at a bit of a loss as to how to find Ellis. He began asking people on the street, which gave him a couple leads, but ultimatly had him walking in circles. He tried to think logically, where would Ellis go? Where was there to go in this tiny town? And that's when he spotted it: the lone car mechanic garage in town. He had done a detailed search of this town when he arrived, and he had remembered this place. But, figuring the girls had moved on already, he hadn't considered looking inside. And now the garage door was open wide, revealing the little red convertible inside. And an even greater discovery greeted him as he got closer.

"I found you.", he pronounced gleefully. Ellis was sleeping in the front seat, she looked breathtaking. The mechanic wasn't around, but even if he was it probably wouldn't have been enough to deter him in that moment. Coming around to the side of the car, he bent down to her level. With one finger, he stroked a locke of hair off her face."Ellis.", he purred.

"Errr...". Ellis stirred. LA froze, but she seemed to drift back off.

"Ellis?", he whispered more softly.

" ...You're dead ..." , she mumbled in her sleep. Was she dreaming?

"It's me, Ellis.", he whispered.

"... You were shot... ", there was a pained look on her face. Was she dreaming about him?

"I'm fine now..." he leaned in and touched her cheek.

"Stay away.", she mumbled a tad louder.

"... Ellis?", he asked, confused.

"I don't love you!", she called out, still asleep. LA was taken aback. Ellis then began to toss and turn, her breathing becoming erratic. It was painful for him to watch, why would she be having a nightmare about him?

"Ahhhhh!", she screamed, "No, no no!" LA decided he couldn't watch this go on.

"Wake up!", that was all it took, as her eyes fluttered open he ducked under the car, too afraid to see her reaction to him. He watched, helplessly from under the car, as she grabbed her things and struggled out the door. Only then could he force himself to get up and out of there. He then quietly stepped onto the street, but he couldn't help watching her go. He tried to downplay what he had witnessed, put himself back in order.

But he couldn't.  
_

{A/n: Took a bit of a dark turn there, did you think the nightmare was about LA too? Originally, it was. Thanks for reading and please review!}


	6. Chapter 6: Ellis

Ellis

{a/n: Cutting it close, but I managed to keep my of weird, yes, I still think of that as one of the best chapters I've ever written. Hope you enjoy!}  
_

LA trudged along, keeping a good distance from Ellis.

He felt conflicted, he didn't know what to do. She was clearly struggling with all that stuff she was carrying, he wanted dearly to just offer to help. But why would she accept? He was just a bad dream to her after all. He felt angry, how could she treat him this way? Hadn't she at least considered him once? He couldn't stand just watching her anymore, he had to say something!

"Ellis!", a yell rang out.

LA froze in his tracks, as did Ellis herself. He quickly glanced to the side, catching sight of the last person he had wanted or expected to see; Dr. Carlos Marco.

"Ellis!", he yelled again from his pick-up truck, as he fully recognized LA.

LA stole a glance at Ellis, she was turning around... but he couldn't let her see him now! Panicking, he played the only move he had; he launched himself into Marco's truck through the open window, nearly taking the doctor's head off in the process.

"What the hell!", Marco exclaimed, rubbing his sore head where LA had crashed into it. LA ignored this as he crouched into the passenger seat, he raised himself just enough to see over the dashboard and out the windshield. Ellis was staring at them, puzzled. Had she seen him? Carlos, getting over his sore head and LA's silent treatment, observed this strange behavior and followed his gaze.

"What's going on, Ellis?", he asked, but LA continued to ignore him. The girl he was staring at was watching them, but after a while she turned and walked away. At this LA sighed and lazed back into the seat, Carlos decided this was a good time to get some answers, "Ellis, do you know that girl?"

"My name isn't Ellis... it's LA.", he spoke through his teeth. The doctor thought for a moment before he spoke again.

"Oh, LA huh? Well, LA, was that girl someone you know?", the doctor asked.

"What are you doing here?", LA asked, still seething.

"Well... you ran away so suddenly, Vanessa was worried. Heck I was worried! You need to come home.", Carlos stated. The look on LA's face at that was nothing if not original; an even mixture of shock, confusion, and unbridled annoyance. His eyes were wide, he was smiling but the doctor doubted he was doing it out of happiness, and his face was twitching.

"Are... you... an... idiot? WE'RE NOT FRIENDS, FAMILY, OR EVEN THE SAME SPECIES!", LA roared.

"Don't be like that, you're like a son to us!", the doctor countered earnestly.

" ...I don't need a family! I only need Ellis! And you... are interfering.", LA said, getting that malicious look on his face that had creeped Carlos out so much before.

"Oh, well, maybe I could help you!", he offered, trying to change that weird expression into one less discomforting.

"Help me? Get lost!", LA roared as he lept from the car. Carlos was left slightly dumbfounded. LA was quick on his feet and out of sight within seconds. What should he do now?

Carlos had driven around, going from town to town now at the request of his wife. He had shown LA's picture around and quickly picked up the trail, following him all the way here, but he hadn't considered that LA would just run away. Was he just supposed to give up now? No, he had to make sure the kid wasn't going to agree, for Vanessa's sake at least.

But for now he decided he should get some food, it had been a long drive here from the last town and he hadn't been able to stop on the way. He had seen a taco joint up the road and decided it was perfect. So he started up the truck and headed there. He kept a sharp eye out for Ellis- er LA, but he didn't spot him.

{Must really not want to be found I guess...}, the docter thought. He passed that strange girl with all the packages on the way.

{Were her and LA connected somehow?}, he wondered as he pulled into the aforementioned restaurant's parking lot.

He pulled his keys, locked the doors, and made for the front. And as he entered he was greeted by a pretty young waitress with red hair.

"Welcome to Amigo's TACOS! May I help you?", she asked sweetly.

"Oh, just a table for one.", he was a little shocked at the curtesy, from the outside this had looked like a fast food joint. But apperantly this was a sit down restuarant with a waitress staff.

"Right this way.", she smiled as she led him to a small table off to the side. As he seated himself, she wipped out a menu and placed it in front of him. "What would you like to drink?", she asked.

"Oh just water."

"I'll be right back.", she smiled and walked away. He was impressed with her demeanor, and she was cute too. He smiled as he looked over the menu, but before he knew it she was back.

"Here you go sir," she said as she placed the glass in front of him, "Have you had a chance to select something?"

"Thank you... um, I suppose I'll just have a couple tacos," he thought for a moment and remembered something, "Oh and maybe two to go, too."

"Alright, it'll be just a minute. Call if you need anything, my name is Nadie by the way."

"Thank you.", he said leaning back in his chair. He took a sip of his glass, wondering what his next move should be. He should probably get a hotel room, call Vanessa and sit tight for the time being. It was possible LA would just move on from this town tonight, but somehow he didn't think so. Hopefully he'd find him tonight or tomorrow and be able to talk some sense into him.

The doors to the restaurant opened then with a ding, rousing him from his thoughts.

"...Ugh?", he stammered, it was that girl with all the stuff LA had been following.

"Ellis! Where have you been?", the waitress Nadie exclaimed.

"... Ellis?", Carlos gasped under his breath. What was going on?

"I went to the car." she said, presenting the parcels occupying her arms.

"I told you we'd get that stuff after work.", she sighed. She patted the girl on the head.

"Couldn't wait." she then dumped the stuff she was carrying into Nadie's arms.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she huffed, obviously struggling with the weight, "I haven't even rented the room yet!" The girl only offered a shrug in response. The waitress sighed and made for the back of the restaurant with the arm load of parcels in tow.

Deciding he wouldn't get a better chance to figure things out, Carlos got up from his table and approached the blond girl.

"Hello, is your name Ellis?", the girl gave him a odd look and just stared back for a moment. But then her demeanor changed completely and she smiled.

"Welcome to Amigo's TACOS, may I take your order?", she asked pleasantly.

"What? Oh no! I've already ordered." he answered as he realized this girl must be a waitress here, "It's just that I know someone who is..." The girl looked at him questioningly.

"Listen, do you know someone by the name of LA?"  
_

{a/n: Just got over writer's block, and I end a scene like that. I'm asking for trouble, but this feels right so I'm going to roll with it. Thanks for reading.}


	7. Chapter 7: I'll continue!

I'll continue!

{A/n: Looks like I guessed right about getting writer's block, sorry about that but I'm better now. I had to rethink where I wanted this story to go, but I think I have a good grasp now. Anyways- QueenofWeird, thanks, I felt it was right as I wrote it/ lazy-gurl, thanks so much for the praise, I'll try to update sooner/Kachie- Hope this suffices/Reina Moriko- Really thanks so much for adding me to your favorites list, first time for me. Anyways I hope this chapter is good.}  
_

Ellis eyes widened, then sharpened.

"No." she responded flatly.

Docter Marco stared back suspiciously, he couldn't help but feel she was hiding something with body language like that.

"Are you sure? This is import-" he started to say but was interupted.

"Sorry for the wait, sir." Nadie apologized as she placed a plate of tacos on his table. She had said it a bit loudly, possibly with the intention of breaking up their conversation but he couldn't be sure of that. Was she suspicious of him?

"Oh yes, no, it's no problem," Carlos answered as he turned to Nadie, but as he did Ellis started walking away from him and towards the back room. That was definitely suspicious! She must definitely be lying to him then he thought. "Wait a minute!" Carlos called, only to be ignored.

"She's off duty, sir. I'll take care of whatever it is." Nadie assured as she approached and interupted him.

"Um, do you know that girl?" he asked switching gears, he knew he must be giving the wrong impression here. But the waitress's face turned from cold to a little sour at that.

" ... Don't you think she's a little young for you sir?" she asked. Carlos was left dumbfounded at the accusation, even though he had slightly expected it "... And then there's that." Nadie finished, pointing to his wedding ring.

"What! No, that's not... it's just that... I was just trying to-" Carlos stammered. He wasn't very confrontational, and Nadie was really getting him.

"Will that be all sir?" Nadie was humorless. Carlos was losing his cool.

"I need to ask that girl about someone!" He pleaded, hoping straight up honesty would stand out in this distrustful air.

"Are you crazy or something? I'm starting to loose my temper with you sir."

Apparently not.

"Listen, you don't understand the situation!" Carlos pleaded.

"I've had enough of you, sir!" Nadie roared, reaching for something.

"No Nadie!" Ellis shouted, suddenly reappearing. Nadie stopped, though with a confused look on her face.

Ellis made her way over to them and and came to a stop in front Carlos. Her eyes were serious, her face was resolute. Carlos was practically moved by her sudden change of heart, now he could get to the bottom of this!

"I'm sorry, but I really never knew that person." with that she left. Carlos was devastated, but he felt no deceit in her words. He must have been mistaken.

Noticing all the stares he was catching, he decided it would be best to leave quickly. He paid for his food and apologized to the waitress Nadie and promptly left.

He got into his truck and drove up the road a bit to a cheap looking motel. It was an average looking roadside motel with two levels and open-air hallways. He rented a room from the main office made his way to his second floor room and promptly callapsed on his bed. What was he going to do? The girl had given him some hope, but now he was back where he started. Would he really be able to convince LA to come back?

"Give me one." a voice that cut through him like a knife suddenly sounded.

"What!" the docter yelled, raising with a start. LA was perched on the counter of his room with a serious look on his face. What was the right move in this situation? Carlos could only stare back at the kid as if frozen in place.

"Come on, you really going to eat four by yourself?" LA asked, breaking the stalemate of a staring contest, he motioning towards the bag of take-out.

"... Oh yeah, sure!" Carlos grinned, quickly fishing a taco out of his 'to go' bag and tossing it to the kid. LA tore into it greadily like a badly mannered kid. He chewed and swallowed half of it before speaking again.

"Now what were you two talking about?" his expression was blank. He took another bite while he waited for an answer. LA's demeanor was making Carlos somewhat nervous.

"You were watching?" the docter asked, only to be met with silence, "I just asked if she knew you."

"What did she say?" LA asked non-chalantly.

"She said she didn't."

"She said she didn't?" LA asked with an up-turned eye brow.

"She said she never knew you, and that was it. To be honest, I didn't think she was lying. Are you sure this is the same girl?" Carlos offered. He thought LA must still be having memory problems, he had only recently suddenly recovered from a case of catatonia after all. Even a relapse was possible, it was another reason he had to bring him back.

But LA's demeanor drastically changed at that information, he dropped his food on the floor, and his expression was not calm. He made for the door, but stopped at the threshold.

"Don't come looking for me anymore... I'm probably not going to be nice next time." he closed the door softly behind him. Carlos somehow felt an acute adversion to following him, so he just sat there staring at the door. Was this a lost cause now? With that expression LA had it was probably best to give him some space either way...  
_

LA sighed bitterly as he stared over the balcony, it was finally starting to get dark out now. The sun was setting and even a few stars were out, not to mention a cresent moon on the horizon. He could even hear the hooting of some howl off in the distance, but of course this serene scenerary didn't do much to distract him from his problems.

Why did this keep happening? Ellis didn't even know he was alive and yet he felt as though he had already been rejected a dozen times already, it was destroying his confidence. He no longer felt the boldness to just appear in front of her, out of the blue and without warning. In one day he had gone from feeling on top of the world to being on the bottom, it was actually starting to piss him off. Why was he feeling so much pressure to make a good first meeting? Why couldn't he just make his move boldy and brashly? That's what he had always done before and it had nearly worked out back then! He had nearly gotten her that one time at least...

Although, she still hadn't seemed that bothered when Ricardo had shot him... infact no one had even bothered to bury him, they had just left him in the desert to rot like an animal in the sun... Well he had shown them hadn't he? He was still alive! ...Thanks to Dr. Marco though ...

"Hey hurry up! It was your idea to lug this stuff around after all." an ominously familiar voice complained from somewhere close by, snapping him out of his train of thought for which he was very thankful.

But before his memory could place the voice to a face, his eyes had found the source, and his teeth met his bottom lip.

"Yes sir." Ellis responded with a nearly unidentifiable note of sarcasm as she followed Nadie up the motel stairs, on a direct course for LA.

LA reacted on pure instict as he made his escape from view, and almost didn't make it. As he jumped from the second floor to the roof, he had to pivot from the edge of the roof, as it over lapped the walkway, but the shock of being discovered had made him leap with too much force and nearly caused him to launch into the parking lot. As it was he barely managed to grip the edge and get himself up, whereas he promptly perched and listened very carefully for the two beneath him.

"Why did you think we'd need all this stuff Ellis?" Nadie exclaimed.

"You said two weeks so I brought two weeks of stuff." of course she wasn't bothered by it, super strength had that effect.

"Who said we had to get it all at once? Besides I was going to get the car back today anyway." Nadie continued to complain until they made it to their room.

At this, LA felt the urge to peak down at them as he heard them come to a stop right beneath him. He was very careful and leaned forward until the two were in view. He noticed they were now dressed in their casual clothes, Ellis looked as perky as ever and was gently smiling, though Nadie looked flustered and stressed out but still upbeat as she was slightly smiling too despite her troubles. They really got on very well together LA realized bitterly, though not for the first time.

Was there really a place for him between those two? He had realized long ago the shortest course of action would have been to kill Nadie, the fact that Ellis had once gone with him confirmed to him that he was the choice replacement. But he had also found out that if he killed her, it was very unlikely Ellis would ever forgive him. The ideal quickest route to Ellis's heart was for Nadie to be tragically killed by some third party, and then he ,LA, would swoop in and pick up the pieces, perhaps even avenge her for the full 100% effect. But he couldn't bring himself to try it again for some reason...

Just then the sound of the motel door closing brought him back, they had apparently entered their room while he had been lost in thought.

[How could I be so airheaded?] he wondered.

He looked closely at the room number as he had decided to make a note of it, but a sudden realization shot through him like a lightning bolt.

His room was right next door!  
_

{A/n: Another sharp ending, but a good starting point fo the next chapter I think. I was considering starting this one off with LA suddenly busting in and tearing up the joint to interupt Ellis and Carlos's conversation, but I couldn't take that scene anywhere so I rewrote it. That was the primary reason for the delay. I feel this chapter is much better than the last actually, I think I 'colored' it much better at least. Hope you enjoyed it too.}


	8. Chapter 8: Midnight Fun

**Midnight Fun**

{Author's notes: Darn, I was hoping to see everyone review again. Well I think this chapter might win you guys back, I went a little overboard with it [in more ways than one], but I think you'll find it's good!}

* * *

**Prologue**

"Go, damn it!" Nadie ordered as she shook the machine. She was running out of ideas on how to get it working, and she hadn't exactly been in a good mood to begin with. Finally out of patience, she decided to kick it. And, suddenly willing, it roared to life and started coughing up ice.

"Now that's more like it." she grinned happily as she placed her bin beneath the spout. The machine was working double time now and filled it in seconds. Only problem was now it wouldn't stop. "Gahh! Please work! I can't afford to pay for a broken ice machine! I'll be here forever!" she complained as she desperately searched for a way to turn it off.

"There you go." a strange voice said as the machine came to a halt.

"Thanks, but how did you do it?" she asked as she looked up at the man, he looked familiar but she couldn't place him. He was an older man, with graying hair. But it was a tad too dim in the hallway to get a really good look at him.

"I just pulled the plug." the man shrugged, smiling absently.

"Why didn't I think of that?" she questioned cheerfully. {Who is this guy?} she wondered. She knew she recognized him from somewhere...

"It was nothing." he answered, but as he said that, his demeanor changed."Umm... take it easy!" he said as he suddenly started to leave.

"Well, thanks...!" Nadie called after him, she couldn't shake the feeling she knew him, but felt hesitant to stop him since he had left so abruptly. {Who had that been?} Shrugging, she decided it didn't matter and went back to her hotel room.

Meanwhile the mystery man breathed a sigh of relief.

{Thank god she didn't recognize me, last thing I need is a continuation of that restuarant fiasco!} Marco thought as he headed back to his room.

* * *

**PART 1, The Moon**

"Ahhh." Nadie sighed as she callapsed into her bed.

"Urg..." a sound came out of nowhere.

"Hmm?" Nadie questioned, but soon shrugged deciding it had been her imagination, "Hey Ellis, I got the ice! Are you almost done in there?" she called towards the bathroom.

"Yes sir." Ellis confirmed, stepping out suddenly with a wall of steam accompanying her. This left Nadie a tad wide-eyed and discomforted.

"How hot did you set the water too?" she asked, in disbelief.

"The hottest." Ellis chirped back happily.

"Why? It's hot outside, doesn't that make you want to take a cold one?" Nadie reasoned.

"Nope."

"Well then maybe you could have considered saving some hot water for me then at least." Nadie complained.

"But it's hot out, doesn't that make you want to take a cold one?" Ellis asked back with an unbelievably straight face. Nadie's answer came in the form of a discerning glare, intense enough to cook an egg, but to her chagrin Ellis was steadfast in her fortitude. Leaving Nadie with only one option.

"You're messing with me, I know you are!" Nadie exclaimed as she playfully put the girl into a head lock.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ellis managed to choke out between giggles.

"Stop this!" a yell sounded from somewhere, causing the two to freeze. At that point, as if on cue, Ellis's towel fell.

"Gah!" Nadie cried as she lept like a tiger to shut the door, which she had mistakeningly forgotten to close when she had returned. Breathing a sigh of relief after she had, she returned her gaze to Ellis, who was just standing there naked. As usual, she was shameless. "Cover yourself!" Nadie exclaimed with a note of annoyance.

" ...Oh." she responded with a moment's hesitation.

That seemed strange, what was with that concerned look? If it was just from being naked, why had she hesitated to cover her self...?

Nadie, despite herself, couldn't help but feel a tad concerned at such a strange reaction, had Ellis been lost in thought or something? She supposed it was probably nothing, as she walked over to her.

"Here," she said pushings some clothes into Ellis's hands, "Hurry up and dress so I can take a shower."

"Yes sir." she responded in her usual cheery manner. Nadie guessed from that, whatever that look had been about really wasn't anything important.

Suddenly finding herself with nothing to do, Nadie decided to flip on the tv before going back to lounging on her bed. It turned out to be some kind of news program, but she was too bored to pay attention and too lazy to find something else. Before long she started yawning, and her eyelids started feeling heavier. She was falling starting to fall asleep.

Remembering something, and realizing how sleepy she was, she suddenly sat up out of bed and went to the rooms' table. She had nearly forgotten about the ice, and why she had gotten it. Grabbing a cup from the counter, she produced a fifth of bourbon from her person. She then stuffed the cup with ice and, carefully angling the glass bottle, filled it slowly with liquor. She wasn't a huge drinker, but this troublesome day called for a wind down.

After all; first it was the missing gun, then the broken lock, the loss of the security job and the free sleeping quarters, and of course Ellis's 'helping', then that crazy customer Ellis refused to elaborate on, and finally a trek to this hotel with all their stuff in tow. Garnish that with a double-shift at work, and you have the 'day from hell'. A dish that requires generous amounts of alchohol for anyone to wash down, infact just remembering it was pissing her off. And thus she downed the first glass instantly, despite the ice.

"All yours." Ellis called, finally coming out of the bathroom. She was wearing a sandard set of white pajamas, which seemed too warm to Nadie for these temperatures, but then again Ellis always seemed to have a pretty great tolerance for the heat.

"About time." she grinned as she got up from the table, but as she did she eyed her liquor longingly, "Hey Ellis, did you let the water out of the tub already?"

"Oh no, I forgot to... sorry." she said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it." she grinned, grabbing up her bottle and cup before heading to the bath.  
_

"Ohhh... now this is the life." Nadie sighed as she soaked in the tub. It had taken her awhile to adjust to the heat, Ellis had had it plenty hot and it was still practically boiling when she had entered it. But now it felt great.

After awhile, she abandoned her cup and started drinking straight from the bottle, and was soon fairly inebriated. She didn't know if her tolerance was down or whether it was the heat of the tub, but she couldn't seem to handle her booze tonight.

After soaking for a good half hour, and finishing her bottle, she somehow managed to drag herself from the tub. She was a stumbling a bit, she hadn't meant to get this drunk. She barely had the dexterity to brush her teeth and stuff herself into a T-shirt before leaving the bathroom. Ellis seemed to have already fallen asleep, which she was thankful for. The lights were already off, so she just flipped the tv off and then, in the pitch black, she stumbled around until she eventually found and callapsed into her bed. As she drifted off, she hoped tomorrow's hangover wouldn't be too devastating.

But then, all of a sudden, she was startled half awake by a depression in her bed. Was she dreaming? Had she imagined it? She decided so as her conscious drifted back into the warm fuzziness of a drunken stupor... but then was brought back again, she was sure she haf just felt something touch her cheek, something soft and light. And, after awhile, felt it again.

{What was that?} she wondered. She decided she must be dreaming, so she just endured whatever it was as it caressed her cheek. It felt kind of nice anyways.

"... Hmm..." she murmured. Her pur was met almost immediately with something soft and warm pressing against her lips, it also felt good whatever it was. So good infact, she stuck out her tongue to taste it. But her tongue ran into something hard and smooth, which seemed to lift away as she pressed against it, and that's when her tongue met something really wet and wiggly. It was warm too, and it seemed like it wanted to wrestle with her tongue.

Like she wasn't up for a challenge! She reached out with her hands, still very much in a dreamy state, and grabbed whatever it was in front of her face and wrestled it beneath her. She then preceded to very earnestly wrestle the jello like thing with her tongue, which at first seemed paralyzed, though steadily it began to fight back with a similar intensity. This was feeling pretty good, even if it also felt really off...

It was then that she began to feel two somethings sliding up on either side of her thighs, and she somewhat realized she was lying partway on something warm and moving, but she ignored it, even though she kind of knew she shouldn't, as she continued her game. The two somethings began moving in different directions, one stopped at her butt and began to caress it, while the other, slowly and gently, made it's way to her chest. She was too engrossed to mind it though, as the second something slowly made it's way to her left breast, and then cupped it.

At this point, Nadie really felt something was off, but she was too off herself to fully care. The 'something' on her breast continued caressing for a few moments, but soon it's movements became slightly erratic. Not just it either, but the other things interacting with her started acting slightly odd, or odder, too. The thing on her chest switched breasts, then switched back before disappearing. Whatever had been on her butt suddenly left too. And then, suddenly, she felt something grip her shoulders and lift her up. There, she was held in place for what seemed like the longest time.

She began to sober up slightly.

{What the heck is going on?} she wondered to herself as she glared intently at whatever it was beneath her, trying to make it out in the dark. It was about then that the thing holding her up by her left shoulder left, and then she felt something stroke her hair, but as whatever it was made it's way to the end of her locke she felt something beneath her spasm.

"**Na... Na-NA-NADIA ****? ! ?**" a strange voice nearly shrieked out. She hesitated, still being held up, as the realization she wasn't dreaming and the power of sobriety pounced on her.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" she suddenly yelled out. The presense that had been beneath suddenly vanished then, leaving her to fall into the bed. But she reacted quickly and swung her arm at the wall, luckily only brushing against the desk lamp instead of smashing it to pieces. She clumsily fiddled with it in the dark until she found it's switch and then quickly turned it on.

As light bathed the room, her eyes searched desperately for her attacker, but the room appeared to be empty... save for Ellis, who was wide awake and looking a tad startled. She also seemed to be in the same bed as Nadie. Nadie then realized she must have accidently fell into Ellis's bed before going to sleep, but a different realization was tearing into her and making her feel incredibly uncomfortable.

"**_Ellis ! ? !_**" Nadie screeched out, as her face was racked with shock and confusion.

"What?" Ellis asked, even more concerned now.

"_Ellis how could you _! ? We're both girls! I mean, I-I-I just don't like you that way... I mean, you just can't start doing that to... I... maybe... maybe we're spending... too much time together... this isn't college!" Nadie seemed unable to form complete sentences.

"Eh?" Ellis asked, now completely and utterly confused.

"... I'm just going to pretend I was dreaming, okay? And let's never talk about this again!" Nadie suddenly reasoned, she then slipped into her own bed and reached for the light, but when she met Ellis's confused gaze, she snapped, "I'm not into it!" She then quickly switched the light out and dove under her covers.

A very concerned Ellis then slowly went back to sleep, while a very unsettled Nadie very very slowly went back to sleep. In fact she made no less then twenty worried glances in Ellis's direction before she finally drifted off.

{... It felt... good... GYAAAA!}

* * *

**PART 2, The Sun**

There was a tapping on a door.

"Hey Ellis, I'm going to get some ice, okay?" a woman's voice called.

"Alright." a somewhat softer voice answered.

LA lifted his ear from the door and a devilish grin stretched across his face.

{Ellis alone huh?} It was like take two of this morning's incident, an opportunity way too promising to pass up. As he listened intently, he unmistakably heard the closing of his neighbors' front door, giving him the cue to cut the lock on the door that adjoined their rooms. A flick of the wrist was all it took, and he entered brazenly. But as he did, it appeared Ellis wasn't there, had she entered the bath? It appeared so.

Not swayed in the least, LA sidled up to the bathroom door. The only sound he could make out was a soft humming and the splashing of water, two sounds that had him incredibly enticed. He started unraveling his line and prepared to cut his way in, when he hesitated. It seemed it was always around this time someone interrupted him. He double checked the front door, Nadie could be back any second, but if he hurried it shouldn't matter. It was then he noticed the door between the rooms was adjacent, as an act of preparation he decided he should close it. If he needed to make a quick escape he could easily open it with it's busted lock after all. But as soon as he did the sound of a key scraping sounded from the front door. It appeared his second guessing of himself was his undoing, as Nadie had returned!

Cursing his luck, and his hesitance, he dove under one of the beds. And sure enough Nadie entered in the next second, while LA cursed her existence in silence from his hiding place. She was carrying one of those plastic bins motels' offer full of ice, LA wished fervently she would drop it and then have to get another, and even briefly considered tripping her. But it was hopeless, he was just going to have to be patient it seemed.

{No matter!} he thought, for as it got closer to these girls' bedtime, it seemed a much more enticing opportunity was going to present itself.

"Ahhh." Nadie suddenly sighed, and then the bottom of the bed smashed into LA's face for some reason.

"Urg..." he groaned in pain as he was knocked out of his train of thought, but no sooner had he done than he slapped his hands over his mouth. {How can I be so careless?}he questioned himself.

"Hmm?" was the response from Nadie. Had he been discovered?

{This is so pathetic!} he cursed himself. Was this how it ended, being discovered under a bed like some kind of ridiculous sexual predater? {No,} he thought as he readied his weapon, {If I'm discovered now, I will fight!}

"Hey Ellis, I got the ice! Are you almost done in there?" Nadie suddenly called.

Awash with relief, LA berated himself for being so worried. {Why do I keep overreacting?} he wondered.

"Yes sir." Ellis's sweet voice suddenly focused LA's mind. And the sound of an opening door had him reeling, Ellis was returning from the shower.

{Ellis staight from the shower, could there be a sweeter sight?} he thought to himself as he grinned maniacally. Deciding he had to see it, he started creeping closer to the edge of the bed.

"How hot did you set the water too?" Nadie was whining, LA mind was swimming with images of Ellis as he continued his journey to get closer without being discovered.

"The hottest." Ellis chirped.

{She's so cute!} LA thought to himself as he got closer. She was coming into view...

"Why? It's hot outside, doesn't that make you want to take a cold one?" Nadie continued to talk.

{Shouldn't she be going somewhere? How long is she going to stick around!} LA fumed in his head, having some how forgotten who the intruder in the room was.

"Nope." Ellis was talking again. LA really liked the sound of her voice.

"Well then maybe you could have considered saving some hot water for me then at least." Nadie's voice again, LA was making a effort to tune her out. Because he had finally made it to a position under the bed where he could see all of Ellis, and she looked amazing to him. Sure, he was dangerously exposed, anything more than a quick glance in his direction and a gunfight was bound to break out. But at that moment he couldn't care less.

"But it's hot out, doesn't that make you want to take a cold one?" Ellis's sweet voice again. It seemed like she was making a joke at Nadie's expense, he was just sad he couldn't laugh out loud.

"You're messing with me, I know you are!" Nadie exclaimed as she roughly put Ellis into a head lock.

{She's going to assualt her just for that ! ? !} LA raged inside.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ellis managed to choke out. She was making noises that sounded strange to LA, she was in danger! His blood was boiling, and in his rage he forgot himself.

"Stop this!" LA yelled from his hiding place, causing the two girls to freeze. He slapped his hands over his face as it dawned on him what a foolish mistake he had just made. But as he racked his brain for an escape plan, he found that Ellis was looking right at him. {**SHE'S SEEN ME!**} he stared back intently, frozen in place. And then her face crinkled slightly as a sort of shock and confusion swept over it. {**WELL NOW SHE'S SEEN ME!**} his thoughts screeched at him as he was still frozen in his staring match. Then, Ellis's towel slipped off. First his glance moved, and then he was frozen and red all over. {The best thing at the worst time...} he thought to himself, preparing for the worst.

"Gah!" Nadie cried as she lept like a chimpanzee to shut the door, which she had stupidly left open when she had returned. But this was all good news for LA, because her crazy actions momentarily caused Ellis to avert her gaze. This brilliant stroke of luck allowed him to thrust himself from the beneath the outer bed [the one closest to the door] to beneath the inner bed without notice. "Cover yourself!" Nadie then exclaimed.

" ...Oh." Ellis responded with some hesitation.

{What's going on? Isn't she going to say something? Maybe she didn't see me afterall...?} LA wondered as he felt some relief. He knew it was too early to feel at ease, but he couldn't help but hope for the best case scenario. How the heck was it that he revealed himself to Ellis as some kind of hide and seek peeping tom ! ? !

Nadie then started walking over to Ellis. He couldn't see anything but their feat from his position, he glumly wondered if Ellis had signaled Nadie of his existance. He wondered what that hand signal would look like, perhaps making an 'L' and an 'A' with her fingers and then pointing at the bed? He supposed worse case scenario he could make a run for it when she opened fire on the other bed...

"Here," Nadie suddenly said, LA wondered if she just handed Ellis something... a gun! ? "Hurry up and dress so I can take a shower."

Wait... was he off the hook?

"Yes sir." Ellis responded in her soft voice, and then walked into the bathroom.

{Am I off the hook?} LA wondered, {Surely, they wouldn't do something this elaberate just to get my guard down... would they?} LA decided to keep himself tense just in case.

The TV suddenly turned on then. Not good, Nadie might be using it to cover the sounds of her movements. She then walked between the beds and layed down on the outer one.

{Has she already realized the sound she heard from the bed earlier was me?} LA wondered, if so that could mean that that was some test to figure out which bed he was under. He was getting worried.

But nothing happened for what felt like an eternity.

{DOES SHE KNOW OR DOESN'T SHE?} LA's brain raged in frustration.

Then Nadie audibly yawned, despite the tv.

{Was that just some tactic to put me at ease? Or am I safe... And why is Ellis taking so long in the bathroom?} his mind could only ask these questions, not solve them.

Suddenly Nadie rose from her bed, so sudden it made LA jump.

{Is this the start of her attack?} he wondered.

She walked towards the table on the other side of her bed, then she suddenly stopped and walked to the rooms counter, and she walked back to the table again. All of this was a complete mystery to LA.

{What the hell is she doing!} was his only thought. He then heard the scraping of styrofoam and the trickling of liquid. {What is that?} he wondered, he was at a complete loss.

"All yours." Ellis suddenly called, coming out of the bathroom. LA, unable to restrain himself, peeked from his hiding place to see her again. She was wearing a set of pretty white long sleeve pajamas, which in LA's opinion was as exactly the kind of thing a pure girl like Ellis should wear, even in this heat. He would have even been slightly put off if she wore something more daring, or so he tried to tell himself to nurse his disappointment. Had he been expecting lingerie?

"About time." Nadie answered rising from the table, these events were really starting to convince LA he had not been found out, "Hey Ellis, did you let the water out of the tub already?"

"Oh no, I forgot to... sorry." Ellis sounded sorry, why the heck for? And what had she been doing in there? Surely changing didn't take so long...? LA was troubled by these questions.

"Don't worry about it." Nadie answered, she seemed to hesitate for a second then headed into the bathroom...

{Did she just signal Ellis?} LA wondered, {No, there is no way she would leave catching an intruder to Ellis!} Finally he let himself feel at ease. There was no way Nadie would leave the room if she thought he was here, he knew. And besides that, he was finally alone with Ellis! His mind was swimming at the possiblities.

He was so full of himself, he almost didn't notice when Ellis dropped down on her knees and scoped out the underneath of the outer bed. And then he jumped with shock when that area suddenly burst into flames. It was only for an instant, so nothing caught on fire, but he realized right away what that was meant for. She... wanted him dead.

{Will she check over here next...?} he wondered absently, he was too shocked to do much else.

Ellis stood suddenly, then fell back onto the inner bed, and began sobbing quietly.

"... _Dead is dead_..." he heard her faintly chant to herself, even over the tv.

{What does this mean?} LA wondered, he felt defeated. This had taken the wind out of his sails, and he wasn't sure he wanted to be there anymore.

And so it went for awhile, until eventually Ellis quieted down. LA wondered if she had fallen asleep, and if he should just take this chance to leave.

Rising from his position, he looked upon Ellis. She was indeed sleeping now, cuddled in the middle of the bed. She looked cute to him, but he looked away and headed to the door. He decided to turn off the lights first, not wanting to see Ellis, but he noticed the light of the tv kept the room lit up pretty well. And so, he couldn't help but take one more glance at her, at which point he suddenly paused.

{Dead ! ? !} he suddenly raged. {She still thinks I'm dead?} He looked over her again, this time with some disdain. {Whatever happens tonight, I'll not leaving until I set you straight!} his concious roared as his spirit picked up and the grin returned to his face. He suddenly rushed towards her.

At that moment the bathroom door swung open. Full of venom and cursing Nadie's existence, LA lurched back towards the door adjoining their rooms and quickly got behind it. He was to angry to care if Nadie had seen him, and also because he had seen her. She had been stumbling and in a daze, he doubted he was in any danger.

{Just go pass out already you worthless bounty hunter!} his mind commanded at her.

He heard some unbalanced footsteps, then the tv turned off, then he heard some stumbling, then finally the sqeaking of bed springs.

{Give it ten minutes...} he told himself impatiently, but he wanted to act while he was still feeling this fire roaring through him.

The time passed incredibly slowly for him, and he calmed a bit despite himself. But when the time finally came, he did not refrain. Quietly opening the door again, he left it ajar and made his way into the room. Everything was pitch black now with the tv off, even his eyes couldn't make out much. So he moved very carefully in the direction of Ellis's bed, until eventually he felt his thigh rub against it.

{Success!} he cheered to himself. He then followed the edge of the bed until he was standing at it's side. He was on the outer side, he would've have rathered to be on the other side, putting Ellis between himself and Nadie, but there was no room to stand in that small space. But that didn't matter, because now was his chance!

Carefully and calmly, LA reached out his hand and probed for Ellis. And almost immediately, he brushed against something really soft and warm. But just as he did, it flinched! So he quickly withdrew his hand.

{Did she wake up?} he asked himself, but after his initial shock a different wonder possessed him, {What did I just touch?} he wondered with slightly restrained glee, but his logical side quickly set him straight and reminded him of what she had been wearing. Since he was sure he had touched skin, judging by his touch, it could only have been her cheek.

But he was fine with that and, gathering his nerve, he reached out and touched her again. This time is hand lingered, and he slowly caressed her. He began to get a feel for her, from just that. He could tell she was lying facing him for instance. And he began slowly moving his face closer to her's without even realizing it. In fact, before he realized it, he was face to face with her. He could even feal her warm breath against his face.

{I'm moving too fast...} he told himself, but he was finding it very hard to restrain himself. And then-

"... Hmm..." Ellis suddenly let out a noise.

{...Did... Did she just... moan...?} he wondered, but he no longer had the presence of mind to dissect it. He leaned forward and kissed her.

{Was that okay...?} he started to wonder, but he didn't get to finish his thought because suddenly her tongue pushed it's way into his mouth! For a moment he was stunned, she was, returning his feelings? As her tongue wriggled across his teeth, he realized what he should be doing and brought his tongue to meet her's. {It feels so... gooood...!}

Ellis was unexpectedly aggressive, her kiss was fierce! And then all of a sudden her hands clasped his head and he was slammed onto the bed underneath her! He was paralyzed with shock as she continued to make out with him.

{Is this really happening?} he thought to himself, {She's like a completely different person! Who knew she was this assertive!} LA thought as he suddenly got back into it. He even began running his hands up her thighs, as she was now hovering above him, on her knees and elbows. Her boobs were even resting against his chest.

Her thighs were warm and the skin was very soft, yet pretty firm too. His hands began to travel though, as if they had minds of their own. His left hand found it's destination fairly quickly, Ellis's butt.

{The promised land!} LA thought as he began to squeeze the right cheek, but his face started to really heat up as he noticed she wasn't wearing any underwear. {Ellis, you naughty girl!} he thought to himself. His other hand, meanwhile, soon found her chest. He couldn't restrain himself, so he reached out and grasped her breast. Ellis reacted a little strangely to that, so he relaxed his movements a little.

{Oh, they're bigger than I thought...} LA noticed as he continued to caress her breast. He suddenly called up the memory of her naked he had seen almost an hour ago... they hadn't seemed that big then. And then, all of a sudden, the image of her in her pajamas suddenly popped into his head. {Hmm, she's got nothing on down there now...?} a thought popped into LA's head then that he really wished hadn't.

He checked Ellis's breasts again, both of them, but they still felt too big. Even incorporating what the force of gravity in this position might do, they were at least a cup bigger than Ellis's. And she also, wasn't wearing bottoms...

A large part of him really didn't care at this point, but the other part just couldn't ignore all this evidence. He placed both his hands on Ellis's shoulders then and lifted her up. Holding her there, he glared intensely up at her desperately trying to make something out in the darkness.

{You are Ellis!} his mind ordered, {Just let me see one thing that confirms that!... Please!}

_Ellis has relatively short hair, but _-

LA reached out suddenly with one of his hands and grabbed at her hair. Finding it, he stretched out his arm and ran down the strands at length. But, just as he feared, he reached a length over twice that of Ellis's and it kept going...

{Ellis... she must have been... secretly growing it out! No wait... It's a wig!...} LA mind tried to explain it away but, he was the truth was slowly dawning on him.

_Ellis doesn't have hair this long, or breasts this big, and she was clothed head to toe in pajamas when she went to sleep. But not..._

"**Na... Na-NA-NADIA ? ! ?**" his voice cracked out, but he hoped against hope he was wrong, {Please don't say yes!} he begged in his mind.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" the voice of Nadie clearly yelled out.

{She didn't say yes I guess.} he thought bitterly as his muscles tensed. His mind was falling apart, but his body and instincts were just as good as they had ever been. He suddenly launched himself out from under her and then off the bed. As he landed in the darkness, he instictively ran for the adjoining room exit and barely managed to shut the door behind him before the lights shot on.

Despite being safe from identification, he continued running, right out his front door. From there he leaped off the balcony and continued to run through the night.

{Ellis... It wasn't Ellis!... But... It... It felt... good... GYAAAA!}

* * *

{Author's notes: What would you think if I just ended this here? It would certainly be ending on a high note, huh? Just kidding! Well , anyways, what did you think of this? This is by far my longest and most ambitious chapter of anything ever, and I'm rather proud of it. But I still want to know your thoughts- Was I too graphic? Was the dual perspective thing redundant? Was Nadie being a tad ditsy about what was happening?[The anime made her seem a tad inexperienced, so I figured that kind of misunderstanding was at least plausible] Was LA out of character? Either way please look forward to the next chapter!}

{EDIT: Man, I can't believe how many typos made it to print. In my defense, I had just started using a new document manager. Besides those corrections, I've also changed up a couple phrases, and tryed to make Nadie appear less ditsy in the 'love' scene. I can't believe the chapter in most need of editing would have been a newer one though.}


	9. Chapter 9: Fallout: New LA

**Fallout: New LA**

{A/n: Thanks for all the reviews, I really liked working on chapter 8 [I kinda consider it my ultimate chapter] and I'm glad it was mostly well recieved. Kachie- Was it too weird? Don't worry, I encourage critism. Reina Moriko- Thanks for the review, If LA was out of character , he's probably gonna stay that way in this story [Is that good or bad?] But if Ellis or Nadie is ooc I can definitely rework them, but I need some pointers please. QueenofWeird- Thanks, I also find LA+Nadie hilarious. But I don't think I'm going to turn their antics into any kind of serious relationship. Then again even I have no idea what a chapter is going to be like until it's on paper [I also feel very comfortable writing for them for some reason]. Lazy-gurl- Yeah, I'm just kinda putting LA and Nadie in those situations for laughs. I'm definitely going to try putting a lean towards Ellis [as it was also my original intention]. Hellooperaterrrr- Will do, but for some reason I have a hard time being as whimsical about it as I am with LA&Nadie. I feel like I should make it dramatic, and I end up making it sad for some reason [the car nightmare thing for instance]. But I'm working on it.}

* * *

_Late at night, in a dive bar in the middle of no where..._

"Another... you mexican bastardo...!" Some drunken slob at the end of the little bar slurred out while his head was buried into his right arm, and the other awkwardly waving a mug in the air_._

With some disgust, and annoyance, the bartender warily approached the drunkard.

"You've had more than enough, you need to sober up and hit the road!" he answered with an authoritative voice. He was trying to make up for when this moron had been sober. Then the drunk had been pretty intimidating, somehow. Looking on this pitiful lush now, he was pretty embarrassed for feeling that.

"... Why you... cheapo!" the drunk stuttered out. He raised his head and glared intensely at the area immediately surrounding the bartender's head, "... QUIT MOVIN' AROUND!" he suddenly roared.

"GET OUT!" the bartender roared back, the idiot couldn't even see straight anymore. "You've worn out your welcome!"

"You already forgot that...oh man... fat roll I gave you...? There's no way it's... urk... used up already...!" as the drunk made this argument, he appeared to be slowly sliding out of his chair, as well as fighting off a bout of nausea.

"It was only $200, and most of that went to letting a kid get drunk off his ass!" the bartender was seriously loosing his patience now, "And besides it's closing time anyway, so get the hell out!"

"You... NAZI! I thought this was... Amerigo-" at that the slob finally fell out of his chair, taking a few glasses and barstools down with him.

Fuming venom, the bartender grabbed a bottle of beer out of the cooling cabinet and crossed over to the drinker's side of the bar where the young man had fallen.

"Here boy, here boy! A nice cold bottle of beer for you, you stupid ass!" the bartender chirped in a mocking tone, as he waved the bottle like a treat in his hand.

"... Give it...!" the drunk ordered as he ineffectually lunged at the bartender, who in turn continued to lure him out the door of the deserted bar. Eventually the bartender stopped and placed the bottle outside, and as the slob snatched it up, he slammed the doors shut behind him.

"... Whatever, I still got the beer..." the drunk said to himself as he took a closer look at said beer, "...BASTARD! It's a pop top!" He roared indignantly as he promptly smashed the bottle on the bar's front door.

Filled with bitter self disgust, the drunk started wobbling home. He only made it a few steps though, before his head started churning and he fell against the wall of the building. He began to sob uncontrollably.

"... I'm so sorry Ellis... I didn't mean it!... URK!" he then vomited. Falling back onto the ground, he stared into the night sky and lamented his actions bitterly as he soon lost consciousness.

_I didn't mean too, I didn't want too, please... forgive me!_

* * *

"Full house." Ellis grinned as she presented her cards.

"I guess you're just good at everything huh?" Nadie sighed with an exaggeratedly defeated look on her face from her seat across from Ellis. "... Or maybe you're cheating again?" she aked with a raised eyebrow and a crooked grin.

"I wouldn't do that." Ellis responded, perhaps trying a little too hard to sound dejected.

"Just don't ever expect me to play you for money." Nadie joked as she rose from the table.

"Where are you going?" Ellis asked.

"I'm just going to get some air, maybe pick up some drinks while I'm at it. You want anything?" she asked as she opened the door.

"Whatever is fine I guess." Ellis waved her cards good-bye.

"See-ya." Nadie answered as she closed the door of the motel room behind her.

"Hmm..." Ellis suddenly felt bored, what was she supposed to do now? She walked to the window and just managed to catch a glimpse of Nadie hurrying down the stairs. {Why is she rushing? And why didn't I go with her? There's nothing to do by myself.} Ellis thought as she considered chasing after her, but decided against it figuring Nadie would make fun of her for being clingy or something. Sighing, she started towards the tv deciding she would just watch something.

-Click-

Nothing but static. Of all the times for the cable to go out. She groaned wondering what else she could possibly do to pass the time.

-**_Hee Hee!_**-

"Who's there?" Ellis asked defensively. The sound had been very quiet, it probably even came from a different room, but what made her defensive was how malicious that snicker had seemed. She was answered with silence though."No one's there." she said to her self, reassuringly.

"_Ellis!_" a much louder voice suddenly sounded from no where, almost like a yell compared to the soft giggle she heard before. It was so startling she actually jumped. Grabbing the counter and steeling herself, she called it out.

"Show yourself!" her tone was steely and stern. Even though she did feel fear, she was ready for anything.

"_Is that what you want Ellis? Cause I'd be glad to!_" the voice shouted gleefully. This time it seemed like it was sounding from all around her, so she looked all around for the source, trying to pick out any movement.

A ball suddenly rolled out from under the far bed. An ominous event, but she didn't let herself panic. As calmly as a trained soldier, she strode forward, crouched, and blasted the underside of the bed with enough force to make it flip over. But she bit her lip when she saw there was nothing there.

"_Over here Ellis!_" the voice called again, for once sounding from a distinct location.

Beside her.

She hurried to turn, and the ball from before caught her eye.

"_That's it, it's me Ellis!_" the 'ball' cheered, only it wasn't a ball she now noticed. It was smiling wildly, and bleeding profusely. She was both disgusted and horrified, and stumbled backwards on her heels in a misguided attempt to distance herself.

"This isn't real!" she tried to convince herself, even as she fell against something. She suddenly froze in place, she could feel something was really wrong. She glanced downward, and noticed something pointy sticking out from under her shirt and the left of her belly button. There was also a crimson stream flowing from it and down her stomach.

"**Hello Ellis, have you missed me?**" her attacker asked in a sweet voice.

"... Just ... die …already ..." she tried to say it more strongly but she was feeling really weak.

"**You first!**" the doctor spouted gleefully as he removed the knife and kicked her to the floor. She landed face to face with the 'ball'.

"_Come on Ellis, time to go to hell!_" the 'ball' announced.

"... Leave me alone..." she frowned as things got hazy.

"_Like you did me?_" the 'ball' continued to talk cheerfully, "_I couldn't do that, infact I'm such a nice guy... I'M GOING TO DRAG YOU TO HELL WITH ME!_"  
_

Ellis awoke with tears in her eyes.

Why these nightmares? It seemed like they had been happening ever since they got to town, and she had no clue why. She rubbed her eyes and sat up straight, taking the whole room in slowly to comfort herself. It was still really early, hours before they had to go to work. But there was enough light streaming in for her to see, and she soon spotted Nadia asleep in her bed. The sight calmed her as she finally felt some distance from her nightmare.

She rose from her bed and took a step in Nadie's direction, but suddenly stopped and crouched. She checked the underside of both beds thoroughly, before rising again. It appeared there were no heads this time, the creepy memory of a head yesterday still fresh in her mind.

{_Why did I see his head?_} she wondered. He didn't even die that way, or at least she was pretty sure it didn't happen like that. It's not as if she ever asked Ricardo about it. She hadn't even talked about him since then, with anyone. So why him? Was she feeling remorsefull or something? That was pointless, he had only ever been that man's puppet after all. He was better off forgotten she told herself.

Ellis crawled in beside Nadie in her bed. She was really warm, maybe cause she had been drinking last night? Either way, it was comforting to Ellis. The unease her dream had left on her drifted away, and soon she drifted off herself.  
_

"...Mmmm ..." Nadie mumbled as she woke to the morning light invading the room. It was bright. She tried to drag her body from her bed only to find she was carrying some extra weight. She flipped her covers to find Ellis hugging her in her sleep.

"Ellis! No means no!"

"What?"

* * *

{A/n: Dark comedy, then horror, then drama, and end with silly humor. I'm not being this wishy washy on purpose, I promise! Or, is this good? Well either way let me do some side notes- LA [Yeah, that's the drunk if you didn't figure it out. Vagueness proliferates this chapter, btw, can you guess who the unidentified people from the nightmare are {hint- Doctor doesn't = Marco}], LA is kinda racist and stupid in the first part, but I wanted to paint him as a realistic drunk and I meant no offense nor did I want to make him dislikable. Just wanted to humanize him a bit. Quick note, the series implies LA was born in Mexico, but he has strong connections to the American Rosenburg, but due to his attire and mannerisms I always figured he was raised in Europe. The nightmare, Ellis never gave the impression of being the delicate type in the series [at least, not in the way I'm painting her], but I figure as she adopts more and more human traits, she might start acting a tad more human. If it's too off please sound off and I'll fix it back. EllisxNadie jokes, I really don't feel real confident about these but they might become prevalent [easy to write]. Hope you enjoyed and looking forward to your comments!}


	10. Chapter 10: Morning

**Morning**

{A/n: Thanks for the reviews! Kachie: Thanks for the support, and I do realize that the manga is a yuri. Lazy -gurl: Thanks, and I'll keep trying to figure that x out. As a side note I'd like to put out there that this story is WAY different then what was originally planned. Just look at the synapse for it, or look at that one shot I wrote as it was originally going to be a chapter. Well anyways, hope you like this one.}

* * *

_Outside a bar, early in the morning, three adolescent boys stumble upon a strange discovery..._

"Hey, what's with this guy?" Emanuel, the eldest, asked as he stooped over the person in question.

"Is he dead?" Je-sus, the shortest, asked as he poked the body with a stick.

"His clothes are really nice, I think someone jumped him." Antonio, the tallest, surmised.

"Whoa! He stinks of beer!" Emanuel exclaimed.

"Hey, he's alive!" Je-sus cried as the person drearily waved a hand at the imposing stick being poked into his side.

"Wha, he just passed out in the street? Tourists are so trashy!" Emanuel laughed.

"But his clothes are really nice, he must be rich!" Antonio deduced.

"Rich people don't sleep in the streets." Je-sus countered.

"They do if they're drunk enough!" Antonio defended.

"Let's check for his wallet." Emanuel suggested.

"You do it, he looks gross." Je-sus complained.

"You were the one poking him with the stick." Antonio accused.

"That's not the same thing!" Je-sus whined.

"Quit being a sissy! We'll back you up if he wakes, so just do it!" Emanuel joined in.

"But-" Je-sus started.

"Do it, do it, do it!" The other two chanted in unison.

Je-sus audibly sighed as he gave in to peer pressure. Stepping up to the tourist, he stooped down, but then hesitated.

"Come on, don't chicken out!" Emanuel pressured.

"Just do it!" Antonio chimed in.

The two began chanting 'Do it!' over Je-sus' shoulder again, and in turn he gave in to them. Gathering his courage and taking a deep breath, Je-sus reached forward towards the opening in the man's jacket and-

"**SHUT UP YOU LITTLE SHITS!**" LA suddenly sat up and roared into little Je-sus' face.

The other two took off with the speed of olympic sprinters. Je-sus, on the other hand, was frozen in place.

LA stared dumbly with a snarl on his mug into the eyes of little Je-sus, while Je-sus attempted to sit perfectly still, maybe hoping LA's vision was motion based.

At this moment, LA was in the foulest of moods. A terrible head ache, a physically ill feeling filling him, soreness from sleeping outside in the street, as well as a lack of sleep. The events of yesterday were also weighing on him, but for the moment he was pushing them to the back of his mind until he could deal with them.

At that moment he needed a distraction.

"Who the hell are you?" LA barked suddenly standing and towering over the younger boy.

"No-nobody si-sir!" Je-sus stuttered.

"Your name!" LA clarified.

"It-it-it's Je-sus, please forgive me!" the kid begged. He knew he should just run away, but this guy was giving off some seriously ominous vibes. Je-sus couldn't help but think he would be killed if he didn't play this carefully.

"Hey soos? What a name." LA shook his head as if to say 'whatever', but quickly regretted the action for the pain it caused his headache, "I need something to drink Jesus."

"...?"

"Get me something to drink."

"Oh! ...um?"

"NOW!" LA roared.

Scrambling to his feat, Je-sus took off at full speed in seemingly random direction. LA surmised that the kid would definitely not be returning, but despite being desperately dehydrated, the kid's departure was still an improvement from his perspective.

Yawning vehemently, LA examined his surroundings. Everything looked different from last night, but he could still figure out his location thanks to his study of the town's layout the day before. He was beside the bar, on the opposite side of town from his hotel. He was about a mile away. LA groaned bitterly as he imagined the grueling walk in high heat he was going to have to take to get home, and it would only get hotter the longer he waited. So he gathered his nerve and set off down the street... only to be smashed into the second he tried to turn the corner.

"What the hell!" LA seethed through his teeth after being knocked down.

"Ahh! I'm so- sorry!" Je-sus had returned. "But I got you a drink!" He held a couple bottles of beer in front of LA's face.

"Oh god!" LA gasped as he turned away and covered his mouth to stop his gag reflex, "_Get that out of my face you moron!_" his voice suddenly getting really low.

"What? Is it not your brand or something?" Je-sus asked a little dumbfounded at LA's reaction, he had gone through all the trouble to steal them from his own house, something he was going to have to pay for later.

"_I swear I'll kill you if you bring those any closer!_" LA hissed as he Huddled away, trying to think calming thoughts to settle his nausea.

"But this is the good stuff! Do you know how much trouble they were to get?" Je-sus took a step forward, still holding out the bottles. LA's weakened voice was taking all the venom from his threats.

"_I'll kill you, I swear on all that's holy!_" LA threatened under his breath as he continued to try and distance himself, even as his nausea was in full swing.

"Look, I can't get anything better! I'm just a kid!" Je-sus, slightly irritated and apparently forgetting the situation completely, stepped right up to LA and shoved one of the bottles into his face.

LA, in a last ditch effort to save his stomach, swiped the beer away from him... only to have it smash open on the ground in front of him. The smell of beer then permeated the air.

Je-sus could sense this was really bad somehow, but couldn't help but pull his 'deer caught in the headlights' impression once again. LA stood slowly and warily.

"Kid, I wanted water, not beer." He spoke solemnly.

A light breeze blew by.

"... oh..." Je-sus answered weakly.

"Uuuuugh!"

* * *

"Looks like it's going to be a good day." Dr. Marco stated a bit glumly, from his second floor balcony.

He had lost most of his motivation for collecting LA last night. He still had plenty of reasons to continue, but now he was pretty certain there was no actual way to do it. With his returned memories, LA had turned out to be a fiercely independant person. Plus he seemed dangerously attached to this Ellis girl, who in turn had no idea he even existed. LA also seemed to have several personality disorders, it didn't seem likely he could lead a normal life. Then again he had managed to hunt this girl down from a news show, take care of himself for a week, and even gotten a new suit some how.

LA appeared to be very capable, infact he was almost ridiculously resourceful. Had he been a rich person or something before the injury? Or had he just been stealing everything he needed, with his physical abilities that seemed more likely... but there were no reports circling around about a string of thefts, at least that Marco knew of. LA was also way too flashy to get away with that kind of thing, his clothes for one, but his hair and face would be unmistakable for miles around. There was no way he could get away with petty crime for long. But perhaps LA was involved with something even worse?

Marco remembered where LA had been found, alone in the desert admist signs of shoot out. The police who had come upon him had presumed it was the scene of a failed drug deal or something, LA being caucasion actually exemplified that. LA had had no papers or identification, and in the end Marco had taken him off the police's hands. They had not been interested in a catatonic foreigner after all, and it was less trouble to abandon him to a doctor then try deportation.

But why had he been there? Marco had figured he was a drug mule or some errand boy, counting on that the shoot out was indeed the work of criminals, but with his current actions it seemed that LA could very well be a true blue drug runner with a record and everything. He did not see him as being a helpless victim anymore in any case, not with his aura and abilities.

Marco sighed, maybe it was time to go home, tell Vanessa it was lost cause and try to forget the boy ever existed. It was probably for the best. He headed back into his room and picked up the phone, but hesitated when his fingers went for the dial.

How would Vanessa take the news? Could he be wrong about LA? Maybe there was still hope?

"ARG!" Marco groaned returning the phone to it's hook, he cursed his inability to be decisive. Walking back to the balcony, he decided he should at least meet with LA one more time before calling it off.

As he came out he noticed a strange pair approaching the hotel, one supporting the other with a shoulder. He was even more surprised when he recognized one of them.

"El-LA? LA!" the doctor called as he rushed down the stairs and aproached the boys, "What, what happened to him?" he asked the other when he noticed LA was unconscious.

"He threw up and started acting messed up." the kid answered, "I think he was drinking."

"Let's take him upstairs!" Marco took LA's other shoulder "It's probably extreme dehydration and exhuastion, why didn't you get him water?" Marco asked accusingly as they walked LA.

"He ordered me to take him here on threat of death," the kid explained. As he noticed how pitifull LA looked, he added "Before he passed out anyway."

"That... sounds like him..." the doctor allowed as they made there way up the stairs, "What's your name by the way?"

"Je-sus." the kid answered.

"I'm Dr. Marco," Carlos answered, "Thanks for bringing him here."

They carried him into the room and dragged him into the bed. Marco looked over him then, try as he might he couldn't see the evil. LA looked just like a normal kid laying there, how could he be so different when he was awake?

He then noticed how pained the kid looked, and remembering he was a doctor, started going through his stuff, while Je-sus propped himself into a chair.

* * *

{Where... am I? Why does my head hurt so... damn much? And... why is everything so... so fuzzy?...} LA wondered in a daze.

"... Is he going to be okay now?" an annoying voice suddenly scratched at his brain.

"Should be, it looks like he hasn't been taking care of himself so it's hard to tell. We'll just have to wait and see." an even more annoying voice pounded against his skull.

"So are you his father or what?" the screaching one asked much to LA's chagrin.

"More like a guardian, I don't think he has any family." the loud one tormented him again.

"An orphan? That's rough."

{ARRGG!} the pain from scratchy voice was getting to him.

"Hmm... yes you're right..." the loud voice said thoughtfully, as if reconsidering something.

{At least he said it softly.}

"So, is he always mean?" screechy again.

"I guess most of the time." the loud one again.

{PLEASE SHUT UP!} LA begged in his mind.

"Well that's too bad, people who are always mean will never have any-"

"SHUT THE FU-" LA suddenly screamed, only to grab his head in pain midway through his curse.

"He's awake!" screechy cheered.

"_You're dead 'hey soos', dead for sure! I'll kill you even if I have to die trying you worthless idiot! You and your tinny voice!_" LA cursed vehemently, but in such a low voice nobody understood him.

"Drink some water." Loud voice ordered, as he offered LA a cup.

"_What the hell are you yelling for Marco? Don't you worry, you're definitely next_-" LA paused his rant to gulp deeply on the water.

"No, no! Only sip it! You're going to shock your system!" Marco pulled the cup away.

"_I'll... shock your... system_!" LA managed to curse as he gripped his head from the pain of Marco's yelling.

"Well, I've got to go now." Je-sus announced rising from his seat, as he got to the door, he hesitated, "Oh hey, do you guys want something to eat?"

"LA looks like he has been neglecting his diet," Marco started while staring over the defeated looking young man as he sipped his water and cursed everything in an inaudible voice, "But we couldn't possibly lean on you anymore, not after you dragged him all the way here."

"It's no trouble, my dad runs the Amigo Tacos down the street so I can get you guys free tacos easy!" Je-sus grinned.

"Seriously, thanks, but it's fine. We're not poor or anything." Marco explained, even though he was poor. But he just didn't want go back to that restuarant and LA... {Wait, hadn't LA been hung up on one of the waitresses?} he remembered. He looked to LA... only to find he wasn't there...

"Well, then I guess I'll see you around!" Je-sus said as he closed the door behind him, he could hear Marco calling LA from behind it, but figured it was just LA pulling tricks.

Je-sus walked down the hallway to the stairs, and as he set his foot down on the first step, he was suddenly gripped by the shoulders roughly and pulled up into the air!

"Gah! What are you doing to me?" Je-sus cried as he was held over the edge of the two story roof.

LA, suddenly recovered and with a pleasant and pure smile plastering his seemingly joyous face, looked Je-sus right in the eyes.

"_**Now, who did you say your daddy was?**_"

* * *

{Author's notes: So embarassing, I went and re-read my chapter two again and suddenly realized how far off base my LA was getting. I mean I am trying to portray some personal growth for the character, but I think I went a little too far. As you might have noticed, I have LA doing a bit of a 360 at the end of this chapter, into a happy yet sociopathic attitude. Originally it was just malicous and grinning, can't believe I thought that was right [there is a difference]. Also, I bet you thought Je-sus was a throw away character huh? ... well he was but I made him into a plot device at the last moment. G4m. I also added the - to his name to avoid angering the religious, I'm not positive it's spelt the same anyway. BTW, I'm thinking of having LA always refer to him with the pronounciation of the Savior's name [the one near the beginning isn't a typo], unless anyone finds that too sacriligous? I could just write Gesus. Well, hope you like and I look forward to your comments!}


	11. Chapter 11: Planning Manager

**Planning Manager**

{Thanks for the reviews!}

* * *

"May I take your order?" Ellis asked with a smile.

"Ye-ye-yeah! Anytime you want!" Je-sus stuttered, excitedly.

"Ellis, that's Raymond's kid. He's probably here to see his dad." Nadie explains, as she walks over to the two of them. As she nears, she turns to Je-sus and bends to his eye level, "Isn't that right?" she asks with a warm smile.

"Ye-yes!" he grinned, only to double take, "Wait no! I-I-I-I wanted to ask Ellis to come somewhere with me!"

"Oh? Like on a date?" Nadie grinned, giving Ellis a look.

"NO!" Je-sus suddenly yelled, much to Nadie's and everyone else in the restaurant's surprise. Catching himself, he adds,"... Err, I mean no, it's restaurant business and um-"

"JE-SUS!" a loud voice suddenly echoes from the back room.

"Eek!" Je-sus squealed in surprise.

At that, Raymond marches out of his office, with a scowl on his face that could turn milk.

"What did you do?" Nadie asked out of the side of her mouth.

"Je-sus, your mother just called me and told me you snuck out of the house with beer, is that true?" he asks calmly, but his demeanor suggests violence.

"Beer? Ellis, this devious little brat is really gunning for you!" Nadie chides mischievously.

"NO I'M NOT!" Je-sus suddenly screamed, getting everyone's attention again, his eyes darting back and forth worriedly.

"...Are you drunk or something! ?" Raymond scolded, suddenly grabbing him by the ear.

"Ow! Wait, no! Let me explain!" Je-sus cried, as Raymond dragged him into the back.

"You're gonna be doing chores all day you little brat!"

"Whew, kids are really something these days, huh?" Nadie grinned to Ellis.

"Why was he so weird?" Ellis asked, blankly.

"Ellis, you're so clueless!" Nadie exclaimed, "_It's cause he likes you_." she added, before returning to work.

"..." Ellis frowned, not really satisfied with that answer.

* * *

"WHAT! ?" Je-sus screams as he was dangled off the edge of the motel's roof.

"**I said who's your daddy**?" LA reiterates, with a sadistic grin and far away eyes.

"... You are?" he tries, feeling a little weird about saying it.

"_**What**_?" LA scowls, starting to shake him.

"What-do-you-want-me-to-say! ?" Je-sus exclaims, through the shaking.

"Your father runs that taco shop right?"

"Yes!"

"Well then, you're going to do me a little favor!"

"What favor! ?"

"... There's this wonderful girl there..." LA starts sounding wistful, rather than devious.

"_Huh_?"

"She works at that restaurant and-"

"You mean that pretty girl, Ellis?"

"That's the one, and she's mine! You listening?" he asks, suddenly choking the boy.

"O-okay!"

"Now here's what we're going to do..."

-sigh-

Je-sus was feeling a little down, remembering how he had got roped into this, as he hosed out the trash cans in the back of restaurant. Step one of his punishment. In hindsight, he probably could have guessed this would happen, but with all the excitement he had completely forgotten about stealing those drinks from his house.

He frowned as the sun twinkled in his eyes, and as he suddenly glanced upward, he spotted a man crouching off the side of roof above him like a gargoyle.

"...? GHAAAA!" he screams as he recognizes the 'gargoyle'.

"What are you doing?" LA asked, humorless and annoyed.

"I-I-I-I have to wash the trash cans!"

"Why didn't you do what I told you?"

"I got in trouble, for the beer!"

"Who cares?"

"My dad will kill me if I don't do this!"

"I'll **really** kill you."

"So will he!"

"No he won't..." LA started, then did a mental face slap as he realized he was getting pulled into the kid's rhythm, "Just go tell her to go to the-"

"She won't even listen to me!"

"Your the boss's kid, that means you're the boss."

"That's not how it works!"

"Of course that's how it works!"LA snapped, suddenly losing his cool.

"It's not, it's not, it's not!"

"...Then do I have to use you as a hostage to make your dad do it for you?" LA grinned, his malice filling the air.

"... It might help..." Je-sus answered steadily, completely miss reading the mood.

"Good idea!" LA roared, jumping off the roof, "Give me your hand and pick your least favorite finger!"

"What? Why?" he asks carefully.

"A severed finger will show I'm serious when I threaten your father." LA grins happily, tearing the cord from his bracelet.

"WAIT WAIT WAIT! I CAN DO IT! I SWEAR I CAN DO IT!" Je-sus roared at the top of his lungs.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Raymond yells, suddenly appearing from the back door.

"I... Umm... no-nothing." Je-sus answers, realizing he's suddenly alone again.

"I don't know what you're hopped up on, but if I have to come out here again, I'm going to make you tar the roof!" Raymond threatened.

At that, Je-sus glances upward, to find LA lounging off the edge of roof. And immediately catching his gaze, LA places a finger to his lips, than drags it across his throat. Je-sus then looks back to his father slowly.

"Anything but that." he respondes evenly.

"Well alright then." Raymond replies, shutting the door.

"Just remember the plan..." LA starts up again, as he whips his wire around ominously from his lounging position, "And know that I believe in you!" he calls, as he slashes a corner off the restaurant's outer wall.

* * *

{Author's notes: This one is a lttle short, I created the end too quick, and it was too good to throw away, so I tried padding it. Not much to pad in though. But it still seems good, I got that old humor, and LA's acting more in character. Hope you enjoyed and please review.}


End file.
